Of Love and Pain
by SoulMaiden24
Summary: When a new girl moves into town, the lives of everyone start to dramatically change. But what harm could possibly come from such a quiet and shy girl? SatoshixOC
1. Chapter 1: Shizuku

**Full Summary**

All have the characters are now 18 and in high school, and everything has been pretty uneventful. Unlike in the anime ending, the ending event with the Black Wings never happened, and Dark and Krad still subside in Daisuke's and Satoshi's bodies, where they have all been living moderately normal lives. Risa and Riku are still quite oblivious to the connection between Dark, Daisuke, Krad, and Satoshi, unlike in both the anime, and slightly mentioned in the manga. Dark has stolen and sealed multiple pieces of artwork, and Satoshi has not had much luck with capturing him. But suddenly their so called "average" lives will make a sudden turn when a new girl will move to town. Will it turn for the better or the worse? Well, only time can tell...

**CHAPTER 1: Shizuku**

Just as a certain redhead had walked into homeroom that morning, it was not long before he was given the latest news that had been buzzing around the school just that morning.

"HEY DAISUKE!" the sudden outburst that came up from nowhere shouted. Shocked by the sudden noise, he shrieked and fell over to the ground. It was then, he realized that it was only Takeshi.

"Oh sorry!" Daisuke yelped before pulling himself up once again. He had been pretty out of it lately. Most of this due to the lack of sleep he had gotten the night before, due to a small theft. You would think that he would probably be used to this routine by now, but he still struggled.

"Pull yourself together! Besides, I've got some big news to let you in on!" Takeshi exclaimed at Daisuke the very moment he had gotten back up on his feet. "Rumor is that there is a new girl going to school here, and she's in this class!" Uncertain why his friend was so excited about this, although it was true that new students are rare, especially in the middle of the first semester, Daisuke gave him a slightly confused look.

"I wonder if she's gonna be hot..." Takeshi finally said, with a flirtatious smirk across his face.

"A new student here would be kinda nice..." Daisuke admitted pondering at the thought of making a new friend, something he hadn't done in a while. Amzumo had been quiet for a while, he was starting to realize. He did the same things every day, he lived a pretty decent live, but it felt like something was missing.

"What? Am I not enough for you or something?" Came a voice from behind him, revealing his girlfriend, Riku. There was a certain look of annoyance on her face, which was never a good sign. It was difficult to tell when she was joking, or dead serious.

"What?" Shrieked Daisuke, surprised at what she had said. "I didn't mean it like that Riku! I swear!" he said, stumbling ever so slightly. "I just meant that maybe it would be nice to meet someone new." Daisuke started to explain.

"Well... I guess that's true..." Riku managed to say after thinking about it for a minute. "I just hope she's not some kind of snob that can do whatever she wants." Her expression tightened as she said this, a cold feeling in her stare.

"Class, please take your seats!" the teacher said. The three of them had been so into their conversation that they had neglected the fact that the school bell had already rung.

"We have a new student with us today... Please come in the classroom miss," the teacher said, and all eyes were then on the figure who had just entered the room.

Standing in front of the class was an unknown girl, she was an inch or two shorter than Daisuke. Her curly, light brown hair was pulled into two low pigtails that were fairly long, perhaps 6 inches below her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled like two blue topaz stones, and were kept behind a pair of eyeglasses.

"Hello there," She said in a surprisingly soft voice, so soft, not everyone could hear what she was saying, "My name is Shizuku Sakishima, please treat me kindly." And then she took a small bow.

"Very good, Shizuku, why don't you sit over there for the time being?" and with that, the teacher pointed to a seat in between a window, and Riku. Reluctantly, she went to her new seat without making another sound, a small smile across her face. "Now, for first period, we will be doing some individual studying, you may talk if you wish, but don't let it get too loud in this classroom." The teacher said, and with that, left the room for the teachers' lounge. It was only a few short seconds after that when conversation struck up in between the students, and Shizuku had pulled out a book from her bag.

"Hi there!" said a voice, causing Shizuku to look up at the two redheaded figures standing in front of her desk. "I'm Riku, and this is my boyfriend Daisuke, your name is Shizuku, right?" the girl said.

With a small simile, she stood up and spoke in a voice just as quiet as before, "N-Nice t-to meet you, Riku, and Daisuke," she said, stuttering slightly on her words. She had a sweet and innocent look, but this did not completely sell Riku over.

"Sooooo..."Daisuke said, trying to start up a conversation. He saw at out the corner of his eye that Riku glaring at this new student, ever so slightly. "Where did you attend school before here Shizuku?" He asked with a friendly smile on his face.

"A-A-Actually, I w-was home schooled for a while," she said, still stuttering nervously. "Y-You see, m-my family and I have traveled a lot, and it would be such a hassle to change my school every few months." While she said this, her gaze had shifted from Daisuke to her feet, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"So, if you move around so much, how do you keep close with all of your friends?" Riku asked with an eyebrow raised. But she only realized after she had said it, that it was a horrible mistake to ask that. For a while, Shizuku didn't answer, she just continued to stare at the floor, but when she did look up, she seemed to have a sad look in her eyes.

"I don't really have any friends," she finally said, her voice more quiet than before. "Y-You see... I'm not very good at making any." After she had spoken, she sat back down and reopened her book to the page that she had marked before she had closed it, not even bothering to look at the expressions on her two classmates' faces.

"I'll be your friend Shizuku," she heard Daisuke say enthusiastically. She widened her eyes and stopped reading her book, surprised at what he had said to her. But then a thought came to her mind, a thought from that tiny voice inside her head which made her upset and annoyed, but it was usually right.

_He just feels sorry for you, he just wants to be your friend out of pity. I mean who are you kidding, who would want to be a friend of a silent bookworm who still stutters on her sentences? _That was what Shizuku's conscience said, and she did trust her conscience most of the time.

"It's ok Daisuke," Shizuku managed to say without stuttering at all. "You don't have to if you don't want to be, I would understand." Riku was a little annoyed by this statement, but then realized that she was being sincere, she really thought that Daisuke was just saying that just to be nice.

"No Shizuku, he really does want to be your friend, and so do I. you seem really nice and I want to get to know you better." Riku said while softening her feelings towards the girl sitting in front of her.

"Y-You really mean that?" Shizuku managed to say, a sort of shock had her at a loss for words, no one had ever shown that kind of interest in her before, then again, not many people ever spoke to her.

_Well I can't really blame people for not speaking to me; I do like to keep to myself anyway._Shizuku thought to herself, _it's just better that way, for everyone._

"Hey I've got an idea!" Riku said, breaking Shizuku out of her train of thought. "How about the four of us head to the mall after school today? Doesn't that sound like fun Shizuku? After all you just moved here right? So you may still need to get some shopping done."

"T-That is true, but what do you mean by the four of us?" Shizuku asked Riku with a confused look on her face. "T-There are only three of us are here..." Riku just smiled at her before giving an explanation.

"I guess I didn't tell you, I have a sister named Risa, and I bet she would love to come with us... in other words she just loves to shop!" Riku said with a smile.

"O-Okay" Shizuku said, smiling at her two new friends. But little did Daisuke and Riku know that their new friend had her own little secret, one that kept her tied to fate, a fate that no one would wish to have.

**Later at the mall...**

**Shizuku's POV:**

I remember Riku saying that Risa was her twin, but I never expected them to be so different from one another. Risa seemed nice and all, but she acted a little too girly and frilly for my liking. But of course I didn't say anything about that, in fact, I barely said anything the whole walk there.

"Where do you want to go Shizuku? It is your first time here anyway." Daisuke asked me as soon as we walked into the town mall. As soon as we walked in, I looked around. The mall was a fair size, not tiny, but I have seen many that were much larger. All it took was a couple of glances for me to realize that I could easily navigate myself through this mall. It took me a while to come up for a decent response to Daisuke's question, but then I had it. Something that would probably satisfy everyone, after all, I really didn't want to be a pain in the ass burden.

"H-How about we just split up to where we each want to go and meet up at the food court in about an hour?" I asked, it seemed like a good idea to me, and I have been known to come up with some brilliant ideas every once in a blue moon. Besides, I really wanted to check out the book store here, and I doubt any of them would really want to go with me in there.

"Are you sure? You might get lost," Daisuke said with a concerned look on his face. But apparently, he was the only one worrying about that issue, seeing that Risa had already run off to some store in the mall. _She probably ran off to some store that sells dresses, or jewelry or something along those lines. _I thought quietly to myself. It's not like I hated her or something, I had just met her, but I didn't really like the aura I kept getting from her. She shone with yellow, the energetic color, and one of my least favorite. But then my thoughts left the ditzy burnette, and returned to Daisuke, who was still awaiting my response.

"Oh come on Daisuke, have a little faith in Shizuku, I'm sure she'll be fine by herself, isn't that right?" She said, now looking at me for an answer. She was now looking at me with two pleading eyes, I had gotten the hint she was trying to send. _Two lovebirds... It probably won't last forever, knowing human love and hormones. Better let them spent as much time together while it lasts... _I told myself in my head.

"Don't you worry about me one bit! I'll see you in an hour you two!" I said in a cheerful voice and headed in the direction of the book store. In all honesty, I really wanted to have some time just by myself. It's not like I hated my new friends, or that I found them annoying, not all at. I just wasn't used to this yet, the old me never had any friends, unless of course, you can count books as companions. I was always alone, so I just wasn't used to being around people like this. I don't think it's a bad feeling, it actually seems pretty nice to be around people who care about you.

But there was something I could not stand, when people worry about me. When people pity me and think that I am broken, it is true that I not perfect, not even close, but that feeling, that look in their eyes, I just can't stand it. It's not as if it fills me with rage, more like depression, like how Daisuke thought I couldn't handle going on my own. _If he only knew the half of it, the way I really was._

Being so lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed that I had already made it to the book store. Sighing to myself, I went inside and headed straight for the section that contained books about art. For some reason, art had always fascinated me, the way it showed the creator's emotions and passed them on to a viewer of another generation just inspired me.

Glimpsing at a few of the books, none of them really caught my attention, and many of them I had already read on my own time. Finally, I found a book of interest on one of the higher shelves, I had to reach for it, but I managed.

As I grabbed the book, a felt something warm on top of my hand, looking, I realized that it was someone who was reaching for the same book. I shifted my glance to see a boy about my age, his eyes were a shade of blue, similar to mine, and he also wore a pair of glasses, but his hair was a light blue. Somehow, he looked familiar, but I decided not to think about where I had seen him before.

"I-I'm s-sorry," I said, still stuttering like an idiot. I then pulled the book off of the self, his hand off of mine, and I held the book we had both reached for out to him. "Y-You can take it" I said, and he just stared at me. He was hesitant, but he did take it.

"Thanks," he said, I didn't sense any emotion in his voice, or on his face for that matter. It was always easy for me to read books, but it would always be difficult for me to read people. "You're that new girl, Shizuku right?" he asked me, and I just nodded my head. _He called me a new girl, so that means I'm probably at his school._ I thought to myself, at least I knew where I had seen him before now. I remember this morning that I saw a kid with blue hair in the back of the room._ That must of just been him,_ I thought.

"My name's Satoshi Hiwatari," he said, still not showing any kind of emotion.

"I-It w-was nice meeting you Satoshi," I managed to say before I left the book store. _I can just go to the library anyway... _I thought. But something was bothering me, when Satoshi touched me, I had felt something. It was like a magical energy, _perhaps he is one of the people I am looking for, the one who has a magical curse in his bloodline... _I thought, but pushed it away, deep into my mind. That was the old Shizuku, now, I'm normal, or at least I was trying my best to be.

Taking a quick glance at my wrist watch, I realized that I was soon due at the mall food court, where my new friends would be waiting for me. _My new friends... my **first** friends, _I thought to myself, smiling at the thought. "I guess people _can_change who they are," I muttered to myself, too quiet for anyone but me to hear. I was different now, I had friends, and I had actually started to think of this town as a home, not just my next travel destination_. If this all happened in one day, I wonder what would happen if I stuck around for a while... Maybe I could actually fit in, and be the person that I always dreamed of being_. But then, I stopped thinking, realizing that it could never be true... After all, facing reality was one of my specialties, it helped me from being hurt by believing in my impossible daydreams.

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**Author's note:**

**Well here it is! Believe it or not, this is my first time writing a story like this...**

**But anyways... I do plan to update as soon as I can so don't worry! but it took me forever to write this, and I spent an equal amount of time editing it, just for you my readers! Now do ME a favor and R&R! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry about that! I accidently posted the same chapter twice! I mean't to post this on Tuesday, but i messed up, but her it is now! P.S. sorry if I have any spelling mistakes.

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**Chapter 2: Dark's Suspicion**

**Daisuke's POV:**

It was only a few seconds after Riku and I walked into the mall's food court that we spotted Risa and Shizuku. We all sat down to eat when Risa started to talk to Shizuku, asking her all types of questions. It was easy to tell that Shizuku was a little uncomfertable by this, but didn't say anything.

"So why do you travel so much Shizuku? Are you on a tour of the world or something?" Risa asked her. I knew she meant no harm, but ever since that story of Shizuku not having any friends, I wasn't sure what kind of questions would be appropriate to ask her. Apparently Riku had the same thought that I did, and started glaring at her sister, but Risa didn't seem to notice.

"A-Actually, m-my father's job requires him to be relocated to a new location every few months…" she said, although she seemed nervous about the topic, then again, she has been kind of nervous all day long. But then I had just thought about what she had just said._ A new location every few months? Does that mean that she isn't staying?_

"So does that mean that you are only here for a couple months?" I asked her. I was actually pretty worried on what her response would be. After all, Shizuku had just gotten here, I didn't want her to move away so soon. I knew I couldn't help it if she moved because of her father's job... So I braced myself for the worst possible answer.

"W-Well actually, no, I'm going to be staying her for a while. Not sure how long, but I know that I will defiantly be here more than a couple months. I wouldn't have attended school if I was just going to leave again." I felt a smile creep up on my face, and I was showered by relief. _At least she will be here a while, we could probably become really good friends. She does seem very kind after all, _I thought quietly to myself. It wasn't long before my thoughts were interrupted by someone else's.

"_I wouldn't get your hopes up Daisuke, she seems more innocent than you, and I didn't even think that would be possible."_ Dark said, probably with a small smirk on his face.

"_What are you talking about Dark?" _He asked him, hopelessly confused about what he was suggesting. Shizuku didn't make a very strong first impression, he would give him that, but just look at her… There was no way she could have an evil bone in her body.

"_I'm just saying to be careful, you don't really know this girl, and looks can always be deceiving… I mean when people look at you, would they suspect right off the bat that you have a completely charming and handsome phantom thief living inside of you?" _He asked, as full of himself as ever.

"_You can't compare Shizuku to me, we are completely different people, and I don't think she is lying about anything… I think you need to learn to trust people, Dark" _He said back, but then he heard another voice.

"A-Are you ok Daisuke?" Shizuku asked, looking at him with a confused look on her face. Every one was looking at him with the same kind of expression, he must of not been paying attention when he was arguing with Dark.

"Oh I'm fine!" I said, a little embarrassed. "I was just thinking about something else, but never mind that…" I said and realized that Risa had been telling Shizuku about all the great places in town that she should visit when she got the chance.

"And there is one more thing you should really do, we could even go together if you want," Risa continued, "You have to see Phantom Dark in action! He is so dreamy, I've met him before you know." She said, and Riku had started growling, and I just knew what she was going to say next.

"HE IS SUCH A PERVERT!" She said, yelling so loud that other people were starting to look at her. But she didn't even notice them, all she was focused on was telling Risa that she should stop thinking about him and just get a life. They started arguing back and forth, until….

"Um... who is Phantom Dark?" She said, a little afraid of the yelling that had just taken place. But the yelling stopped, and we were all a little shocked that she didn't know. Except for Dark and Risa that is... they were a little angry too. Make that a LOT angry.

"_**JUST WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?" **_Dark screamed inside my head, "_**I KNOW SHE'S NEW, BUT COME ON! WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM?" **_He was obviously enraged by this, and apparently, so was Risa. Since her comment was similar to Dark's. But when she did calm down, she explained to Shizuku exactly who he was.

"Does he sound at all familiar now?" Risa asked Shizuku, who was easily frightened by the yelling that had been done towards her.

"N-No actually, but I haven't really been here all that long so please excuse my incompetence towards the particular subject matter." She said, as politely as humanly possible. For some reason, she was being so formal towards us, even though we had made it clear that we wanted to be her friends.

_I wonder why Dark wanted me to be careful around her, Shizuku is totally nice, and it wouldn't take a month of knowing her to figure that out. _I thought, still confused about what Dark had said. _Is it just possible that he sensed something about her? Something that I can't see? _

"You don't need to apologize Shizuku, it's not your fault you didn't know, my sister was just over reacting again." Riku said, a smile returning to her face, she was not the least upset with her, nor was I. "Besides, your _lucky_ that you have never met him, trust me." She said, and plastered a frown on her face, well more like a scowl, but you get the point.

After that little conversation was over, it remained quiet. I have to say that it felt a little akward just sitting and eating in silence. But when I glanced at Shizuku, I saw that she didn't seem to mind one bit. Unfortunatly, the lack of conversation seemed to bother me quite a bit. So I thought about something that I could say to spark things up.

"So Shizuku," I asked, she looked up at the mention of her name. I had actually wanted to ask this question to her for a while now, but I wasn't sure if the time was right. But now, I just needed to say something, and the question was the first thought in my mind. "You're actually really nice, but why don't you have any friends?" I could feel Riku hit me under the table, I probably deserved that, but I still wanted to know.

"W-Well, I don't think I'm that nice," she said shyly, looking me right in the eyes. "But I think I told you already why I don't have any friends. I used to move around so much, there really all that much time to make any. A-And... I really don't know _how_ to make any." By then, she was looking down at the table, her expression was depressing, I never meant to make her upset, I was actually complimenting her.

"Daisuke didn't mean anything by that Shizuku! He's just surprised that you don't have more friends, because someone with a personality as great as yours should deserve more friends." Riku quickly put in. "And by the way, you really do seem all that nice, it's just the truth. Daisuke would never lie to you like that. Right Daisuke?" She said, looking at me with those big brown eyes that I just adored.

"Right!" I responded enthusiasticly, "I would never lie about something like that, never!" _I would only lie about Dark... _I said in my thoughts, making sure I didn't say that part out loud.

"It's okay Riku, I get it," she said. Just then, the bill for our lunch came. I was about to take it, but Shizuku beat me to it. She then pulled out a fifty dollar bill, and told them to keep the change. _Wow, she really is that nice. She knew she didn't have to do that... _I said in my mind.

"You didn't have to do that Shizuku..." I said to her, speaking my thoughts, and Riku and her sister quickly agreed with me.

"I did it because I wanted to..." she said with a smile and a wink, her voice as quiet as ever. "After all, I am that nice..."

After we left the mall, Riku asked her if she wanted to do anything else today, but Shizuku just shook her head as a response.

"I-I think I need to go home now, but thanks for such a great day!" She said, and then turned around to leave.

"See you tomorrow Shizuku!" Riku yelled after her, who was already half a block away. But then I just remembered what Mom had told me that very morning before school. I had to go steal something tonight, and I really hadn't kept track of the time when we were in the mall. So I looked at my phone to check what time it really was.

_Crap! Unless I leave now, I'm going to be late!_

"Riku, I just remembered that my Mom wanted me home, and if I don't go now, I'll never hear the end of it... So I'll see you tomorrow?" I said, slightly looking down at her, after all she is just a bit shorter than me. She nodded in understandment, after all, she had met my mom before.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" she said, and left with Risa towards their home. And then I started to run towards mine. After all, I couldn't let Dark be late for his appearance tonight.

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**Shizuku's POV:**

I opened the door to my new house, thankfully the moving was already done and all of my belongings, and the new furniture I recently bought, were already in their proper place. The Feng Shiu in the room was just right... I had made sure of that, maybe some luck would be heading my way soon.

"I'm home," I said out loud, only to be greeted by silence. But what else would expect in a house where you lived alone?

That's right, I lived alone, not with my so called father, not with anyone. I didn't mean to lie to everyone, but I never wanted any of them to worry about me. Because I just had a feeling that they would care about me, every adult who found out that I didn't have any parents did. Either that or they would try to drag me to some god forsaken adoption agencey.

What most people didn't realize was that I was more than capable of taking care of myself. After all, I have been doing it for... How many years now? I guess five or so years, I didn't really keep track.

I went into my bedroom, which was fairly big in size, not that I needed all that much room. I sat down at my new desk and pulled out one of my many notebooks, and I began to write. I called this free writing, I would think of a random word or concept in my head, used that for the title of my piece, and wrote non-stop for 7 minutes, not caring about spelling or grammer, not that I ever made any mistakes anyway. And I just wrote whatever I had been thinking about, some of the thoughts completely random and out of the blue... But I liked it, it helped me recap on what I was thinking about.

This time for some reason, I titled my entry as, _Friends._

It went a little something like this...

_I'm thinking about the people that I met today... Riku, her sister Risa, Daisuke (aka Riku's current boyfriend), and I also briefly met Satoshi in the book store. Now I just remembered that I will still need books to read soon, I guess I'll pay a visit to the library after school tomorrow. I am glad that I had decided to move to Amzumo, it without a dought is a quite unique town. I wonder why I chose to move here... I was last living in America before I came, and I still don't know why I chose this particular town over the city. Not like I enjoy the city more than nature, now that I actually think about it, the city is far too loud for my liking. But anyway, oh wait I just remembered something! I can't go to the library tomorrow because I was going to head out to the museum that my mother's family had owned. Well, still owned, my mother passed the museum down to me with her passing. But enough of that kind of talk, I guess I should also mention the concerns that I had today. The main one is coming from an event with Satoshi today. I could of sworn that I had felt a magical energy generating from him._ _Perhaps that was just my imaginaton though, I don't remember any people by the last name of Hiwatari possesing magical properties. But I do remember reading the name Niwa somewhere through my studies. But for some reason I can't seem to remember where, I guess I have been pretty scatter-brained of late. Also, a character by the name of Phantom Dark seems to have grasped my attention. I believe that he was also somewhere in my studies, but I only rememeber bits and pieces of information. But here is what I do rememeber, he is one of the parts of the Black Wings, an artwork I believe was created by the Hikari family if memory serves me right. He, of course uses magic to help with his theifts, air magic to bemore spceific. But would concern me is that he has special abilities, and with those abilities, it could be possible that he figures out that I..._

I then heard a loud ringing sound, indicating that my seven minutes were up. Most people would be clutching their hand in pain for doing just five minutes of sustained writing, but I had gotton used to it over the years.

Then, like I would always do after the buzzer sounds, I would close my notebook, leaving my last sentence unfinished, and locked it away in a chest in my closet until I felt like free writing again. After all, I, like everyone, had secrets, which I never want to be discovered.

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_**Later that night...**_

**Dark's POV:**

_Yet another successful theft by Phantom Dark... _I thought to myself while flying back to the house. Krad had shown himself back at the museum, but I'm positive that I lost him a while ago. Guess he was off his game tonight, he didn't even land one punch on me! But then I started to think about the events that happened earlier today.

_I still wonder about that Shizuku girl... I can't seem to shake this feeling that she is bad news. And Daisuke wouldn't even listen to me when I suggested it, I know she looks innocent, but looks can be deceiving. _I thought to myself,_ I mean just look at Krad, one may look at him and assume that he is an angel, but really, he's a devil on the inside. _But she couldn't be that bad, at least not as bad as Krad. Maybe I **_should_** stop comparing her to others... But then, that would mean that Daisuke would be right, and I wasn't sure if I would want to admit that just yet.

"I wonder..." I whispered to myself, honestly, I couldn't find one bad thing about that girl. Except of course the fact that she is so damn shy... But that isn't any threat, not even close. And although she is shy, she is really cute after all.

Then I saw her, the girl that Daisuke had made as a friend, Shizuku. Her hair was down behind her back, which made it look just the tiniest bit longer, she was still wearing her glasses, but the strangest part was were she was. She was standing on the roof of a house, looking up at the night sky.

_She must live there... _I thought, but then remembered about what she had said. The thing that had gotten me so pissed off earlier that day. I felt myself smirk at the idea that had just popped into my mind, and I flew closer to Shizuku.

_So she doesn't know who I am? Well I guess I'm just going to have to introduce myself won't I?_

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**Shizuku's POV: **

For some strange reason, I just had a problem falling asleep that night, maybe it was because of what happened today, what I had found out. I couldn't help but smile, just a little bit.

I continued to look up at the sky, it was so vast, and very beautiful in more ways than one. In the daytime, it is warm and welcoming, filled with light. except for rainy and stormy days of course. But I find the rain quite soothing, and the same goes for Winter. Those kinds of weather calms me down for some reason, I enjoyed those days more than the bright and sunny days. But I still loved the night, it was almost as peaceful as the rain.

But then, I felt a presence come up from behind me, I decided that I wouldn't turn around to face it, at least not until it made its presence known.

"Hello there..." I heard an unfamiliar voice from behind me, as I turned around, I saw none other than... Phantom Dark. I have to admit that I was slightly confused, and slightly annoyed. I really did not want to converse with beings like himself.

_Now what could he possibly want? It's not like he knows anything about me, but then again, Riku did say that he was a flirtatious jerk. _I thought to myself, looking at him, I said nothing. Trying my best to keep a blank look on my face.

"Now tell me, what's a pretty girl doing up at this late hour?" He asked, a smirk plastered on his 19-year-old looking face.

_Maybe if I just answer him, he'll just go away..._ I thought. "C-Couldn't sleep..." I said, pretending to act scared, but really, I just wanted him to go away. This time, when I was talking, I was stuttering on purpose to give the nervous look its full affect. Apparently, I'm a pretty decent actress when it comes to these things.

"No need to be scared," Dark said, (_told you!)_ "I haven't seen you before..." he continued, walking closer to me. "The name's Dark... What's yours?" he asked, now only a couple feet away from where I was standing.

"Shizuku," I said plainly, still hoping he would just leave. I really didn't want to be bothered by him right now.

"I see... a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he flirted, and now he was far too close to me for my liking. But fortunately, he backed away from me, the smirk still plastered on his face.

"I have a feeling we'll meet again Shizuku, but for now, I must be going..." he said before he took off into the night sky. _Finally, I thought he would never leave... And I really hope we never meet like __**that **__again._ I thought before climbing off of my roof, and through the window of my bedroom.

_I need to be more cautious when I go out at night, so I don't run into that kind of trouble again. I would be albe to handle it if I did, but it would still be annoying..._ Was the last thought in my mind before I crawled into my bed, and let sleep consume me.

What I didn't know was that not to far away, someone had just witnessed at what had happened on the roof top, and that person was smirking with the new information they had just required.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Well, here it is! hope you enjoyed it! **

**You may be wondering, "What could Shizuku's secret be?" Well all that I'll say is that only time can tell. But I plan to heave a poll up on my profile along w/ chapter 3 on Saturday or so... P.S. thank you all of my readers, especially Pheo The Flame and Vampire Girl Alex!**

**So plz click that little blue button below this message and R&R! (If you don't review, I may stop writting... mwah ha ha!)**


	3. Chapter 3

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A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! but school was hectic and I got really bad writter's block this week. I actually planned to make this chapter a lot longer, but didn't have the time to. So I had to cut this chapter short to update in time. P.S. A poll is up on my profile, check it out!

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**Chapter 3: A Waste of Time**

**Satoshi's POV:**

That morning, my father had called me into his office. I already knew what he wanted to see me about, but I still had to hear it from him, face to face.

"Ah, Satoshi! Always good to see you!" He said, his cheerful mood was obliously fake. "Now, I wanted to talk to you about your progress with Dark_..." Ah, the ulterior motive_... I thought to myself.

"It has been four years Satoshi... I don't want to pressure you or anything, but it would be nice for you to capture Dark before he steals_ all _of the artwork made by the Hikari family. Is there something troubling you? Anything that may be getting in your way?" He asked, a concerned look was plastered on his face, although it was not genuine.

"Everything is fine, there is nothing getting in my way." I said, plainly as I could. "Now is there anything else? School will be starting soon." Which honestly, was not true, but I am always there earlier than anyone else.

"Not at the moment, but I will tell you when something does come up. It was great to see you again Satoshi!" He said before giving me a death hug, "Now I'll have a driver take you to school, so you won't be late." Was the last thing I heard him said before I walked out of his office.

* * *

_**Later after school...**_

What my father had said that morning still bothered me through out the rest of the day. I had been so lost in my thoughts while I was walking down the hall, that I forgot of where I was actually going in the first place. But as I rounded the corner of the hallway, I was brought back to reality.

All I remember is bumping into something_, hard_, I didn't fall over or anything, at worse, I just lost my balance for a split second. But when I looked down, I saw that I had actually bumped into _someone _rather than something.

"I-I am so sorry Satoshi!" Shizuku said, quicky getting up from where she had fallen, "T-That was completely my fault, and I apologize, I really wasn't paying attention to where I was going..." She said, but then started to pick up the various boxed she had dropped when she had fallen down, which for some reason I had not noticed until now.

When she had finally picked them all up again, I realized that she wasn't _able to see_ where she was going, since the boxes were blocking her vision.

"Why don't I help you out with those?" I said, no really thinking about what I was saying.

"O-Oh don't be silly," she said with a smile on her face, one that I noticed always seemed to be there, no matter what happened. "I bumped into you remember? And besides, I'll be just fine on my own, after all, I did _volunteer _to take these to the art room, so it makes sense that I should be the one to do it."

"Oh, so you don't think that I can handle carrying half of those boxes? You think that I will be careless and drop them? Because if you haven't noticed, you already did that, so what would be the harm in letting me help you?" I said with a smirk on my face, for some reason, I just couldn't help but tease her. She has always been so apologetic and timid, in a way, it was like she was asking for it.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Shizuku yelped, a little suprised at what I had been implying, "I-I just don't want to be a burden is all, but if you really want to help, you can. As long as it's not a burden to you." She finished, but then handed half of the boxes that she had been carrying to me, she hesitated, as if waiting for me to change my mind, but I didn't. But it was then that I realized, that these boxes were _**heavy**_.

I looked over at Shizuku, who wasn't having any trouble at all with her half, which actually had more articles in it than mine did. _Just how strong is this girl_? I thought to myself_. I guess there is just more than meets the eye with her. _

"So why are you volenteering to do things like this? It's not like it's your job or anything." I said, but I quickly realized that I probably sounded like a complete jerk. But for some reason, Shizuku didn't seem to mind, and just kept smiling.

"W-Well I know it's not my job, but no one else wanted to put the boxes away..." _Go figure _I thought, "And I just wanted to do it so they wouldn't of been just stuck in a supply closet." She said, then looked at me with those crystal blue eyes of hers, wait. Why would **_I_** care about what her eyes looked like.

"T-Thanks for helping, that was really kind of you." She said, still staring at me with those eyes, as if looking into my soul. But then an alarm from her bag broke her gaze. In a way I was relived, when she looked at me like that, it was as if she could see what I was thinking, what I was hiding.

She then looked into her bag, and pulled out the source of the noise, an expensive looking PDA. She pushed a couple buttons on the device to make it silent once more, before she shoved it back into her bag.

"I-I have to go now, but thanks again Satoshi!" She yelped out to me before exiting the art room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Well, not comepletely alone.

_"Who is that girl, Master Satoshi_?" Krad asked, he was probably watching when I offered to help Shizuku.

_"She is no one Krad, just another girl." _I responded, which was actually true on my part.

_"I see, but that may be just for now, who knows what she may become in the future..." _He said, seeming quite content with himself.

_"What do you.." _I started to ask him, but was interupted by my cell phone vibrating. Looking down, I saw that it was my father.

_What could he possibly want? _I hesitated slightly, but I did answer.

"Satoshi, Dark just sent out another warning letter, are you avalible tonight?" He asked, even though he almost certainly already knew the answer.

"Yes, where is the museum that he plans to steal from tonight?" I responded, I didn't have anything better to do tonight, so might as well work.

"Excellent! He is planning to steal "The Eternal Timepiece" from the Utsukushi-sa Art Museum tonight at 9:00, make me proud Satoshi." He said to me before hanging up the phone.

_The Utsukushi-sa museum just opened recently, and yet Dark is going to steal a piece of artwork from it. One that not many people have gotten the chance to see yet. _I said in my mind, still looking at the cell phone in my hand. _Oh well, I guess it really just can't be helped, but I will try, just like any other night._

And with that thought in my mind, I left the school building and started to prepair for tonight. "The Eternal Timepiece" might of not been a piece of artwork made by the Hikari family, but it was a piece of artwork all the same.

* * *

_**Later that night at the museum...**_

**_Dark's POV:_**

As Wiz and I were flying towards the target museum for that night, I noticed something very out of the ordinary.

_That sure is strange, _I thought to myself, because as I decended closer, I noticed the lack in security and guards surronding the museum.

_I guess the police finally realized that with no matter how many guards they have, they still won't be a match for me! _I thought triumphantly, until that voice inside my head just **had** to rain on my parade.

"_I don't think you should be so over confident Dark, this may only be a temperary thing, there will probably be much more cops next time."_ Daisuke said to me, in a way, I guess he was right, but I didn't really care.

Realizing what time it already was, I swooped down from the sky, and made my way into the museum, unnoticed of course. When I was finally inside, I saw that there weren't _any _gaurds in here, I was a little confused of why there wasn't anymore protection, but soon shrugged it off. This wasn't my problem, and I might as well take advantage of this while I can.

It didn't take long to find the artwork, although it was one that I had never seen before. As I moved it from its display, I examined it a little more closely. It was a type of pocket watch, it had a small ruby in its center, which was connected to three clock hands, all of which were made of pure silver, and most of the rest of it was made of gold. And on top on that, I can sense a type of magical aura coming from it, it was a little faint, but it was there for sure.

"This is just too easy..." I said out loud. I mean come on, why would they leave a piece of artwork like this so unprotected? It just didn't seem to add up.

"Then lets make it a little harder, shall we?" I turned around at the sound of the new voice, and found myself looking at none other than Krad.

"What do you want Krad? This isn't a piece of Hikari artwork, so what would you want with it?" I yelled at him. I swear, I should of expected his apperance, but still this was just getting annoying.

"You already know what I want, Dark Mousey, your death." He said to me with a smirk on his face, and then pulled out a single white feather._ Yeah, didn't see that one coming, _I thought, he was just getting more and more predictable.

But then again, there are a lot of people nearby, _can't risk getting them hurt. _I watched Krad's every move, as he lunged forward to attack, again and again. It was easy to dodge his attacks, but it took a while for me to get him away from the museum and all the people.

"What's the matter Dark? Have somewhere else to be tonight?" He asked me, and put a devilish smile on his face, "Perhaps to flirt some more with that timid human girl?"

_He saw that? Maybe I didn't totally lose him that night... _I wondered, but then, I wouldn't want him to hurt Shizuku just because I had tried to flirt with her. She _**is**_ pretty cute after all... Wait, this isn't the time to think about things like that! I realized, and the blast of magic that was aimed right toward me brought me back to the issue at hand.

"Leave her out of this Krad, this is between you and me, no one else!" I said, and then sent more than a dozen feathers flying in his direction, exploding apon impact.

Before he knew it, Krad came crasing down, but this seemed to make him even more furious than before. He was about to attack me again, but never got the chance. As soon as Krad took a step forward, he fell to his knees, and screamed out in agony.

I took that as a que to fly away, which i did, leaving him alone, and "The Enternal Timepiece" still in my pocession. Guess I won again, nothing new.

_"Dark, we should be getting home, Mom is probably really worried right now."_ Daisuke said, like I didn't already know that.

"Alright, I'll go back right now, but relax, we still got the artwork right?" I said. I swear, that kid needs to learn how to have some fun once in a while.

* * *

A little while later, I landed on Daisuke's balcony and then entered his room, only to see that someone else was in it, and they weren't happy.

"Where have you been? Just what happened Dark, why are you back so late?" Emiko was screaming at me, without any hesitation.

"Just ran into some trouble, but everything is fine, I have the artpiece that you wanted right here, and we _are _back alive, aren't we?" I told her, she definatly was Daisuke's mother.

"That's the problem Dark!" she yelled at me, and before I asked her what she meant, she was pulling me downstairs.

_What the heck is she doing? _I thought, and she set me infront of the televison, and made me watch was everyone else was, a news report.

_"Tonight, Phantom Dark stole "The Eternal Timepiece" from the Utsukushi-sa Art Museum, one of which just opened up for business quite recently. But many were wondering why there was such a small amount of protection for such a valuable piece of art, right now, we find out the real answer_." The news reporter began, and so far, I really didn't like where this was going. If there was a specific reason that the place was so poorly guarded, then it must of been a good one.

_"As it turns out, the owner of this museum called the police themselves earlier today and specificly asked them to **not **give much security this particular night. The police themselves were baffled by this request, but respected the owner's wishes anyways. But aperently, they had a reason behind their madness, because right after the thieft took place, Instector Seahara recived a call from the owner of the museum, saying that right before the museum had been cleared out for the officers to set up, the **real **piece of artwork that Dark was planning to steal was replaced by a replica, fooling the phantom thief_..." After the news report, they were all staring in awe and disbielief, except for me, who was filled with rage.

"What? But thats impossible!" I was yelling, probably too loud, but I didn't care. "There was a magical aura coming from this replica before, and..." I stopped in the middle of my sentence, and looked at the trickery that had fooled me, and realized that the faint, magic aura that was there before, had vanished from the fake artwork.

I stared in disbelief, I didn't know that something like this was possible, but here it was, happening right before my eyes. I was about to open my mouth to speak again, but before I could utter a sound, something else got my attention once again.

_"Since the owner of the museum, who shall remained anonomys, was the one who switched the real artwork and the replica, they are the only one who would know where the true "Eternal Timepiece" lays hidden..." _Was the last thing that the television said before Daiki switched it off.

"We need to find that artifact Dark, rumor has it that if used properly, the weilder can control the flow of time, which could be very dangerous." Emiko was saying to me, like I didn't know what was at stake here.

"I know, but we need to find out who the owner of the museum is. Kosuke do you think that you could find out?" I asked, and turned to him.

"Of course, it may take a little while, considering how low a profile this person keeps." He said, and then he walked down to the study.

"Emiko, tomorrow send out another warning letter. I'm gonna steal "The Eternal Timepice", and I'm not going to fail this time!" I told her, and in response, she just nodded.

"Okay Dark, but can you turn back into Dai now? He still has school tomorrow you know." She was saying, but I was already walking up the staris towards Daisuke's room.

"I have a feeling that this museum owner isn't an ordinary person, and they're especially not a fool." I said to Daisuke, before transforming back and letting him sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Here it is, I'll try and update as soon as possible, but right now, why don't you leave a nice review. Sorry if it's asking too much, but nice reviews from u guys give me a nice fuzzy feeling on the inside, and inspire me to keep writing. ^^ So plz review!**


	4. Chapter 4

******A/N: Hey people! Just before I forget again, for those who don't know, "Utsukushi-sa" mean "beauty" in japanese. And, I call the characters by their first names because to me, their first names sound better than their last names. And also, I read the manga before I saw the anime, and in the english translation of the books, they called each other by their first names. Also, I call Daisuke's rabbit Wiz instead of With b/c that's how it is in the manga, and to me, Wiz just sounds cuter! That's all I have to say for now, ENJOY!**

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**Chapter 4: The Past**

**Daisuke's POV:**

I walked into the classroom that morning, and saw Takeshi come up to me, apperently in a hurry like always.

"Hey Daisuke, did you hear the big news last night?" He asked me, a big smile on his face.

"No, what news are you talking about?" I asked, and really hoped that this _news _wouldn't be anything to do with...

"It's Phantom Dark!" He exclaimed, _Of course Takeshi would have to bring that up, _I thought to myself. "He failed Daisuke! He got tricked by the owner of that art museum! Man would I of loved to see the look on his face when he found out that it was a counterfit, that would of been totally priceless!" He kept saying, and started to laugh, little did he know that Dark was listening to him.

**_"I HAVE NOT FAILED! I WILL STEAL THAT STUPID ARTPIECE TONIGHT, JUST YOU SEE!" _**He was screaming as loud as he possibly could, as if hoping that someone else besides me could hear him. But then I looked over at Shizuku's desk, and felt a little bad. She was reading a book, keeping silent, just like always.

_"Hey Daisuke, what's the matter? Shizuku's been like that from day one, and you know it.__" _Dark said, his voice softening a little bit when he sensed my concern.

_"Yeah, that's actually what's been bugging me actually... It seems that Riku and I are her only friends, and she's not even trying to make any others." _I said to him.

_"Well, if that's the way that Shizuku wants to go about the matter, then there's not much you can really do about it Daisuke, you just have to accept that you can't always help people who don't want to be helped." _He said, I knew deep down he was right, but that wasn't enough to discourage me from helping her.

"Hey, Shizuku," I said to her, and she looked up from the book she had been reading.

"H-Hi Daisuke, something wrong?" She asked, a large smile emerged on her face as she spoke.

"No, uh, I was just wondering... What did you think of the event with Dark last night?" I blurted out, honestly, I didn't know why, of all the things in the world, I had to choose that particular topic.

"Well, all I can really say is that I didn't really expect Phantom Dark to fall for something like that..." She said in her usual low voice, looking right at me. "I mean, from what I have heard so far he is a professional, but then again, I could have been mistaken."

"But he is a professional Shizuku, don't you think it's not the _tiniest_ bit strange?" I said, just desperatly trying to have a conversation with her, there wasn't all that much that she talked about, if she did talk at all.

"I-I suppose so, but I choose not to think about it all that much, after all, it's not really my place to speak out since I don't really know all that much about the topic." But after she finished speaking, she looked back down at her book, just like always when I tried to start a conversation, but failed.

_"What did I tell ya Daisuke? If she wants to be a loner, it can't be helped... Although, she does make it look cute." _Dark said, and I could practicly feel the smirk on his face creep up on my own, one of the worst things of sharing a body with such a playboy.

_"Come on Dark, stop that. I just think that maybe, Shizuku is a loner because she's... lonely. I mean, she moves all the time, she barely has any friends, and it seems that her father always seems to be working..." _I said, which I assumed was true considering what Shizuku had told me before.

"Hey Shizuku!" I turned around to see Risa standing behind me, holding something in her hand.

"H-Hello Risa, is there anything I can do for you?" She asked, this time, she marked the page of the book she was on, and placed it in her bag.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could answer me something, see began, and then revealed what she had been holding in her hand. Looking closer, I saw that it was some sort of magazine, I couldn't read it though, because it was in another language, probably English. But really got my attention was the woman on the cover, by just looking at her, I thought that she was some kind of model, looking like she was maybe in her 20's. She had pirecing, crystal blue eyes, and long, curly hair a couple of inches above her waist which was mainly a dark brown, but you could see the color becoming lighter in some places. _Hey she looks a lot like..._

"Shizuku, I can't really read what this magazine says, because I can't read English, but I saw it and I was wondering... By any chance, could this be you?" She asked her, excitement in her eyes.

Shizuku started to giggle a tiny bit, which I had never heard her do before. "A-Actually, Risa, that is **not** me on the cover." She said, her eyes still on the magazine.

"B-But this lady looks just like you," Risa said, this time she was the one stuttering instead of Shizuku.

"The reason she looks like me, is because that was my mother." She said, "That magazine is actually a good number of years old, you can tell by the date on the top." And then she pointed to one of the top corners of the magazine, where the unfamiliar letters were.

Now that I thought about it, Shikuzu had never mentioned her mom before, and I was starting to wonder why. When I was about to open my mouth to ask, something stopped me, or someone.

_"I wouldn't open your mouth Daisuke, think about it for a second. Maybe there is a reason that she doesn't want to talk about her mother, for all you know, her mother could be dead, or perhaps her parents are divorced. How would you plan to get yourself out of that mess if her response is like that?"_ Dark asked me, and to be honest, I hadn't thought of that at all.

Then, Risa handed the magazine to Shizuku, but Shizuku didn't seem to understand. "Take it, I can't read it anyway, and I think that it seems a little more important to you." Risa said, smiling at her as Shizuku took the magazine from her.

She looked at it for a moment, before replying, "Thank you so much." To Risa, who just walked away, and went to talk to a group of her friends.

Then Shizuku started to flip through the magazine, until she found the article she was looking for. Looking at it from over her shoulder, I saw it contained various pictures of the same woman on the cover. She was beautiful, and looked a lot like Shizuku.

"You look a lot like her you know," I said, by the look on her face, I could tell that the smile she was showing me was forced. My instints told me that it looked like she was fighting back tears, but didn't wnat to show it.

"Daisuke's right ya know, you really are the spitting image of her." I turned around to see that Riku was standing behind me, trying to cheer up Shizuku.

"S-Sorry if I look kind of depressed right now, please try to ignore it, because it is nothing." She said, and looked away. As if refusing our help and gestures on purpose.

"Shizuku, why don't the three of us go somewhere, just to talk, okay?" Riku said, placing a hand on Shizuku's shoulder as she stood up to leave.

She looked at Riku for a minute, but finally said that she couldn't. "Y-You see, Satoshi is out sick today, and since he only lives a couple of blocks away from me, the teacher asked me to bring him his homework, so I can't. But next time I will, I promise." Was the last thing she said before she rushed out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

"I'm worried about her Daisuke, she seems so closed off to other people, and, I just don't know. But, I am gonna keep trying to be her friend, because I really think that she needs one right now." Riku said to me, she had that look of determination in her eyes, the one that I had always loved.

"I'm gonna keep trying too, Riku. I think that if we give it enough time, she'll eventually open up." I said, trying to look as confident as I felt. Because I knew that Shizuku was a great girl, and I really wanted to get to know the real her.

* * *

**Satoshi's POV:**

Honestly, I wasn't sick or anything today, I just didn't want to go to school today. Actually, that morning, I did have to speak to my father about something. Dark had sent out another warning notice saying that this time, he would steal the _real _"Eternal Timepiece". But since the owner, who of which I still don't know the name of, refused to tell anyone where they were keeping it, there was not much that I could do. And by the time we were done discussing this matter, I would of already of been late to school, so what would of been the point?

For some reason, I couldn't help but think about last night, when Dark was actually fooled by that counterfit. The thought of him being fooled like that made me smirk, but then I remembered that it had me fooled as well. Just like everyone else that night, I thought that the picece in the display was the real thing, and so did Krad.

I remembered him taking over my body yesterday night, and it was only when Dark had done a signifacant amount of damage to him was when I could take back control. But I also remembered something that Krad had said right before Dark attacked...

_"What's the matter Dark? Have somewhere else to be tonight?"... "Perhaps flirt some more with that timid human girl?"_

Honestly, I didn't know what Krad had been talking about, but a timid human girl... Just who was he talking about? Every time I had tried to ask him, he refused to tell me the answer. Perhaps he just meant Risa Harada?

My thoughts were interupted by the sound of the door bell, I walked over to answer it, not that it could be anyone of importance anyway.

"H-Hello Satoshi, I brought you your homework, since you weren't in class today." She said, handing me the work that I had missed.

"Why did you come to deliver it?" I asked, the few times I had been absent, it was always Daisuke who had brought me the homework, now why would Shizuku be doing it?

"B-Because I only live a few blocks away and the teacher asked me to, that's why." _That's right, I've seen her walking in this way home before, she lives only a couple of blocks away._

"Would you like to come in?" I reluctantly said, it didn't matter to me what she did, but it was still polite to offer.

"S-Sorry, I can't. I wanted to head over to the Utsukushi-sa museum today before it closed. See you later," She said, gave a small wave goodbye, and turned to leave.

"Why that particular museum?" I asked, there were plenty of other museums, some closer in distance from here than that one.

She turned around again and said, "J-Just because, that's my favorite museum, that's all."

"But why-" I started, but she soon cut me off.

"Is it my favorite museum? I'm not completely sure, but I just seem to like it more than others." She turned to leave again, not particularly in a hurry, but she didn't pause or anything.

"Thanks," I said, just as she was about to walk down the stairs. Shizuku turned around to face me, "Any time," she said, and left the building. That's when it hit me_, a timid girl_, I thought, and knew that she had to be the answer.

_But why her? She doesn't seem too out of the ordinary, what would Dark **or **Krad want with a girl like that... _I kept thinking to myself, but quicky changed the subject of my thoughts.

Thinking back, I remember clearly last night that "The Eternal Timepiece" seemed to be giving of a magical pressence. It was so faint that it was barely there, but I could of sworn that I felt it...

If this so called owner somehow put _their _own feelings into this replica, probably without knowing it, they must of had very strong emotions. But still, Dark said that he would steal the real version, tonight. But not even he could know where it is, he wouldn't be able to find it in a _week_ on his own, not even if the Niwas are helping him. If only the owner really knows where "The Eternal Timepiece" is, then...

_This person is going to be in trouble,_ I thought. But I if could find out just who the owner is before tonight, I may be able to protect it after all.

So I went over to my computer, using the police database to find the mystery person, but no luck. Aperrently, this person keeps a super low profile, the only imformation that I could seem to find was the schools that they went to, and the collage they graduated from a couple years ago. And as for a name, the most recent one was _Himeko Davidson, _but it said in the database that they had recently changed their name. There was no avalible picture, address, age, or other information of anykind.

_What kind of database is this? There is barely any information at all, how could anyone have this low a profile?_

By this time, it was already night, and I had basicly found out nothing about this person that I could use, except the fact that it was a woman from the name "Himeko". It was almost time until Dark said that he would steal the masterpiece, so I knew I was down to my last option.

I picked up the phone and called the number, I hoped I could of done it on my own, but time was running out, and then he answered.

"Ah, Satoshi! Is there something that I can do for you at this hour?" My father said, a little confused at why I had called him so late.

"Actually yes, what is the current name of the owner of the Utsukushi-sa Art Museum? It is very important." I said, my voice was a little rushed, but he didn't seem to notice.

"The current name, well let me see, they changed their name a couple of months ago, but it looks like the current name is... Shizuku Sakishima."

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Stupid night time!" I said, screaming at no one, but it wasn't _my _fault that I wasn't able to sleep for the past few nights. I don't know why I was mad at night time itself, but I didn't really care. Not that I had ever needed much sleep though, I could get through 48 hours with only about 6 hours of sleep. But still, there was nothing better to do at night, and I really didn't feel like going outside.

"Uuhh," I groaned to myself, and started rummaging through my closet, until I finally found what I was looking for.

There were a bunch of music books, all of them for the piano, although I did have one or two violin ones lying around somewhere. I grabbed a couple of the books, a wax candle which I always kept handy by my bedside, and a box of matches that I kept on one of my drawers. I than opened my window which lead out to a small balcony, and started to climb upward. But I didn't go as far as the roof this time, this time, I crept up to a window which led to the attic. The window was locked, but it didn't take me long to open it, and I went inside.

There were only two things up there, a black piano, and a white bench. (Don't even remind me how hard it was to get them up here) But I liked them here, I had always loved to play music, it always sounded so beautiful. _In a way it's just like a piece of art you observe with your ears instead of your eyes. It's just like a painting or..._ _"The Enteral Timepiece". _I thought, I felt a small smirk come across my face. No one would of guessed that it would be in the hands of an 18 year old girl, which made my plan even more perfect.

My plan, it wasn't big, I had just switched the real one with a copy I had made, but I didn't really expect Dark to fall for that, I guess he is just more idiotic than I thought he would be. Now, the artwork was as safe as it could get, hidden in plain sight, well, not exactly plain sight, but you get the idea. It was just in my left pocket, no guards to draw attention, and it was in a place that no one would think to look.

Truthfully, I just didn't want this artwork to get stolen, it was enchanting, and on top of that, it had sentamental value to me...

_Oh well, time to relax... _I thought, lighting the match to bring the flame to the candle, I set it on top of the piano. Skimming through the piano books, I found a rather pleasent song, and started to play the soft melody. The song itself was quiet but depressing. It contained various sharps and falts and moved all around the keyboard. These were the kind of songs that I loved to play, the ones that I would seem to lose myself in, until it ended.

I took my fingers off of the keys, and my foot off of the petal, and did a quiet sigh to myself. I loved playing music, but every time that I played, it reminded me of my mother, and how she would play. That actually what that magazine article about her was about, how she used to preform all over the world, bringing beauty to all of those people who wished to listen.

"Who knew that such beautiful music could come from such a beautiful girl?" My eyes widened at the sudden voice, but it seemed sort of familiar. _Oh great, _I thought, and turned around to see Phantom Dark across the small room. The last person in the world that I wanted to see tonight.

I stood up from the bench, and he had already made his way from near the window sill, to a couple feet away from me. He then grasped my chin in his hand, forcing me to look him in eyes.

"Now what are you doing up here all alone?" He said, and I really didn't want to answer any question that he asked me.

"None of your buisness!" I said, pulling away from him, I wasn't going to act like I was scared, because I felt like the exact oppisite. "Now what is the real reason that you are here? Shouldn't you be out stealing something?" I said, if he was shocked in my sudden change in behavior, he didn't show it. He just had a smirk, one that I would just love to rub off of his face.

"Now now, no need to be so cold, that really isn't like your personality. But if you are really that interested, I would like to know where you are keeping "The Eternal Timepicece", Miss Sakishima. And don't deny not knowing what I'm talking about, because I already know." He said, and grabbed my left arm with a strong grip, he obviously wasn't letting go.

"Let go of me! So what if I'm the owner? I'm still not telling you where it is, and there's nothing that you can do to make me!" I yelled to his face, struggling to get free, but failing.

"You want a bet?" He said, for a second I was confused. But before I knew it, he had grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me toward the window. I was still stuggling, but with my eyes closed and my teeth clenched. The more I made an effort of ecsaping, the tighter his grip on me became.

"If I were you, I would open my eyes." He said, and reluctantly, I did. Only to see that we were in the clouds, flying high above the town.

"Let me go already!" I yelped, seeing that he obviously wasn't playing around.

"Not until you tell me where you're hiding it, and besides, I like you in my arms" He said, trying to sweet talk me, but I'm not one to fall for that kind of garbage.

"Then whatever, because I'm not telling you where it is!" I said, which was absolutly true. I was not about to let this artwork fall into the wrong hands.

And now that I thought about it, it was kind of funny that Dark was going through all this trouble, when "The Eternal Timepeice" was still in my pocket. Dispite the circumstances, I smiled, just a little bit, but made sure to hide it from Dark.

* * *

**Dark's POV:**

She wasn't cooperating, which was making things more difficult. I have to say, Shizuku is much more determined than she looks, but I still need the art work.

_Might as well start a conversation, it will be much more interesting than just flying around in silence. _I thought, and was glad that Daisuke was asleep tonight, I knew that I would get the riot act from him if he saw that I was holding her aganist her will.

"So why is that perticular piece of artwork so special to you?" I asked, which I really wanted to know. Heck, this girl was practicly risking her life for it's safety. Not that I would do anything to hurt her, but it's not like she was completely sure of that.

"Why would you want to know? Stop talking to me" She said sternly, and I noticed that she wasn't stuttering at all tonight, strange.

"One, because I want to know why you want to protect it so badly, and two, you really aren't in any position to be calling the shots."

She hesitated, looking down at Azumano, but finally answered, "I really don't know," she said, her voice now low and calm, like she was thinking about something. "Perhaps because it was my mother's favorite piece of art, and because it once belonged to her..." Shizuku said, a little unsure of the answer herself.

"So, your mother died, didn't she. She owned the museum, and passed it down to you, am I right?" I said, starting to soften up to her, since she obviously was depressed. But for some reason, she was trying to hide it.

"I will answer that question if you answer one of mine first," she said.

_How hard could answering a question be?" _I thought, and quickly agreed to the arangement.

"I-If I tell you the answer right now, will Daisuke be able to hear too?" She said, and for a couple moments, I was in complete shock. _How did she find out? What is she some sort of government spy?_

"This time, _you_ can't deny it, Dark. From the first night that you spoke to me on the rooftop, I knew."

"Okay, I won't deny it, but how did you find out?" There was no possible way that she could find out by just looking at me, so how did she do it?

"I learned to read auras a while ago, I don't remember how, so don't ask me, but I just can. And although you two act completely different, you still have the same aura, which is impossible unless you are one and the same." She said, her voice normal, not stern or scared, but still soft. And I found myself chuckling, this girl centainly was unique.

"Well, you are much smarter than I expected, not many people have the gift to read auras... And as for your question, Daisuke can't hear us right now, I promise." I said, actually glad that Daisuke was asleep right now. "So answer my question, what happened to you mother? And why would it matter if Daisuke could hear or not?"

"Died of a terminal disease when I was five, for some reason, she had the disease right after she gave birth to me. And I just didn't want Daisuke to know because I know that he would make a bigger deal out of it than it really is."

"You know that it probably wasn't your fault..." I said, I kind of felt sorry for her now.

"It wasn't, but that didn't stop my father for blaming me, happiest day of my life when he died in a car crash four years ago..." She replyed, and now she was confusing me, from what Daisuke knows, she _lives _with her dad, but how can she if he's dead?

"But from what I understand, you live with your dad and travel around the world because of his job..."

"That was a lie, and I have my reasons for telling it." She said, still looking down to avoid eye contact.

"So you have your secrets as well? I guess I can respect that, for now anyway." I said, and changed my direction toward Shizuku's house, if she wanted to protect it "The Eternal Timepiece" that badly, then I guess that it is in the right hands.

_Emiko will understand, won't she? _I thought. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't, but there is nothing that she will be able to do about it by the time I get back.

Slowly, I decended towards the house, and flew through the window to her room, letting Shizuku go. She looked at me, a little confused, and I have to admit that I was too.

"I think that you are suitable to take care of the artwork, so I'll leave it with you." I said, and turned to the window sill to leave.

"W-Wait," was all she said, but I turned around all the same. I saw her reach into her pocket, and in her hand was "The Eternal Timepiece".

"Take it," she said and held it out to me, "I-I just didn't know if you would take good care of it or not before, but now I'm sure that you will."

I smiled at her, and took it from her hand, and I found it hard to believe that she was holding onto it all this time.

"Why didn't you give it more protection? If you don't mind me asking," I said, after that whole speech, she didn't hide it in some warehouse, or some safe with a thousand guards, she just hung onto it.

"Would you have ever thought that I had it all this time?" She said, crossing her arms, and I realized her point. So as a response, I just shook my head.

"You look just like your mother, you know that?"

"I've been told that before," she said, of course she had, it was true after all.

"By the way, you sound better when you don't stutter." Was the last thing a said before I lept out of the window, using Wiz to fly back to the house.

_Maybe she's not that bad after all... _I thought.

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**A/N: Hello! Yes, it was Shizuku who fooled Dark, and for all of you who thought it was _Krad _who tricked him, you were WRONG! Omg I love twists in the story, and here we found out a tiny bit about her past, it's not much, but this chapter is longer than any of my other ones, so R&R por favor! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for making you wait, but I've got school, and hw, and a bunch of other stuff. In other words, I'm one busy girl, but anyways, here is Chapter 5! Enjoy. P.S. I am the worset spellar evur, so plz take it ez on mee!**

_**"This means that Krad/Dark are talking inside Dai's/Sato's head"**_

_**"**This means that Dai/Sato are talking back to Dark/Krad"_

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**Chapter 5: Beginnig the Book**

**Shizuku's POV:**

_WHAT WAS I THINKING? _I screamed at myself as I walked down the school hallway. I had been so enraged since last night, I mean what I was I thinking?

_Obviously, I wasn't, or I would of never confessed something about my personal life to Dark. And of all people, DARK! _I continued to mentally yell, so much it started to give me a migraine. True, I did trust him with the artwork, there was not really a doubt in my mind on that subject, but when it came to who I was, that was classified.

I was starting to calm down, thinking about bunnies, and rainbows, and other stupid things that people just assume that every female being on the planet would like. Although I did like bunnies, or really any animal for that matter, I wasn't a vegan or anything, that would be unhealthy for any diet. But still, I like animals, they are intellegent in their own way, people try to understand them by doing research on them, but there is still so much that they don't know, things they will never understand about animals. No matter how hard they will try.

Then I remembered those made up creatures that were mainly based off of animals. Pokemon? Yes, that's what they were called. I honestly didn't favor them, but the concept of them were quite fascinating, but like I said, they were made up. A fictional daydream one might say, real animals were much more interesting.

I found myself relaxing still thinking about various breeds of animals and what makes each one unique, I was still walking, not really paying attention to anything, that was my mistake.

"Aah!" I let out a small yelp as I was being pulled into a small and vacant room, well almost vacant. If I was paying attention, I wouldn't of been shocked like this.

"S-Satoshi! Y-You startled me!" I said, looking at the familiar face of the one who had just pulled me in here, for what reason, I did not know.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking rushed, and very tired. _You're the one who grabbed me in the first place! _I thought, but guessed that he deserved an answer.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. But like I said, you just startled me is all." I answered, holding my right hand behind my head, and offering a small, forced smile.

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said with all seriousness, "I'm talking about last night. I went to your house, but you weren't there." He was looking me straight in the eye, which was starting to make me nervous... Wait, did he say last night? What did he know about exactly?

"What exactly were you doing at my house last night Satoshi?" I said, giving him a question of my own, trying to put him in the same spot that he was trying to get me into.

"Well, there was a notice card from Dark, saying that he would steal The Eternal Timepiece, and I'm the Chief Commander of capturing Dark..." I really wasn't sure if I was liking this so far, as a matter of fact, I was starting to hate his answer.

_Cheif of police? Oh joy, that probably means that he would have access to profiles and databases... _I thought, desperatly hoping that I was wrong, I didn't want anyone to know to much about me... I didn't care who he was, I was still nervous. So nervous that I forgot that Satoshi had been talking all this time.

"...and well you see, in order to ahcieve that goal, I needed to know who the owner was. And I found that the owner of the Utsukushi-sa museum... was you. Himeko" That last part had shocked me, he knew my real name, the one that I had changed right before I had moved to Azumano.

"If you want to know what happened I'll tell you, but that information won't be of much use to you. I had hidden The Enternal Timepiece in my house, I went to sleep last night and was awoken by a noise. I left my room just to see Phantom Dark escape. The reason I wasn't there was because I attemted to chase hin, but failed at doing so." I said, straight to his face. It wasn't any of his buisness what happened last night. I didn't care if he was cheif commander or not.

"And besides, I don't go by that name anymore, I never liked it. One of the reasons that I changed it." I said, looking at him to see if he actually bought the bunch of lies that I had just said.

He nodded in understandment, actually believing in every word that I had said.

"I still want to know why you keep such a low profile, the other reason that you might of changed your name, and how you became the owner of such a large museum." He said, now looking at the floor.

"And why should I answer all of these questions? I know my rights, and I like my privacy." I responded, acting slightly cold, but he didn't seem to mind.

I heard him sigh, as if expecting an answer like that from me. He now was well aware that I knew quite well just how to play this little question and answer game. His eyes went back to me, his blue ones connecting with mine... And gave me an answer that I was not expecting.

"Actually... I just wanted to get to know you a little better, Shizuku." Satoshi said in a low voice, it was actually a tiny bit difficult for me to hear, but I still knew what he ment, and what he said.

"I'm sorry..." I said, and walked past him, leaving the room, and him in it. I knew I couldn't allow myself to open up to anyone, to let myself get too attached. It would just cause trouble, I learned that from experience.

I always moved, to a new city, a new state, country, continent, it didn't matter. I just knew that if I had made friends with the people that I met, it would only mean that they would miss me when I left... and I would miss them too. So instead, I let people think that I was cold, even though deep down, I knew that wasn't the real me. It was just how I wanted people to see me, so they would leave me alone.

But now, things are different. Daisuke, Riku, even Satoshi, they were trying to understand me. They were trying to break down my walls, the ones that I had spent so much time to build up, to keep people out. No matter how many times that I tried to shut them out, they always came back, as of nothing had happened. I kind of beganto expect that from day one, but I didn't count on them keeping this up. I thought by now, they would of called quits.

_I can't allow this..._ I thought, _This is for my own good, and their own well being, it has always been better this way..._

But as I was suddenly started to realise, this way was very lonely, this was a path with only me on it, me and me alone. True, I wanted someone to talk to, someone who would listen, and always be there for me. I always wanted someone to understand, to make me feel like I belonged in this world. But no matter how many times I tried to wish on that shooting star, it would always disapear, it would wait for no one, and vanish.

Perhaps if I tried, and wished three times fast, I could pin my hopes on that star, I could make a wish, and just hope that some day, it just might come true. Then again, what do I know? I'm just a quiet girl. A quiet girl who wishes on a star three times fast, and wishes for someone to understand her.

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**Daisuke's POV:**

**"**_Come on Dark, can't you just tell me what happpened last night, I mean what happened with Shizuku?" _I asked him, for probably the tenth time today.

**_"I told you Daisuke, I'm not talking about it. What happened between is between Shizuku and I, but she does know that I am a part of you." _**He said, and I must say that I was a little shocked at what he had just said.

_"Wait, you TOLD her? Why would you do something like that Dark?" _I was really mad now, but mostly upset. If Shizuku knew the secret, she would never look at me the same way, I just knew she wouldn't.

**_"Actually, I wasn't the one who told her, so don't go and get all mad at me. Shizuku figured it out for herself, she's actually pretty smart Daisuke."_**

_"Yeah, yeah, you're still avoiding the topic Dark, fine. But tell me how you got her to tell you where the artwork is?" _I said, I swear. This time I had really missed out on a lot, only because I went to sleep for one night.

**_"Emiko didn't seem to mind what I did, she was just happy to seal the artwork when I got back." _**

_"Yeah, well Shizuku's my friend, so I'm going to her house to ask her in person." _I said, before taking direction to her house. I mean what's the worst that could happen if I asked her? She might say no, but there is still a chance that I could find out.

**_"Okay Daisuke, go ahead and talk to her. But don't expect to get any answers!" _**Dark replied, obviously playing with me. But I ignored him until I finally arrived at her house.

I felt a little bit hesitant, but knocked on her door anyway, hoping that she would be home. Well, half of me was wishing that she _wasn't _home so then if she **were **to no tell me what happened, I wouldn't be making a fool of myself right now.

**_"Too late for that, Daisuke!" _**Dark said, after reading my thoughts. I just sighed and ignored the comment, and then heard the front door click open.

Standing in the doorway was Shizuku, already changed out of her school uniform. She was now wearing a pair of dark blue denim jeans, aand light blue top which was covered with a black hoodie that she had zipped up halfway. She was still wearing her glasses, like always, but her light brown hair was now up in a high ponytail, showing off it's natural curls.

"Hi Daisuke, can I be of assistance to you in anyway?" She said, not stuttering anymore for some reason.

"Well actually, I wanted to talk to you about something..." I said, looking at the ground, and placing a hand behind my head in embarrassment.

"Please come in then Daisuke, make yourself at home." She said, and stepped to the side of the door to let me in. I thanked her politely, and went inside. The place wasn't all that big, but it certainly wasn't small, it was actually pretty cozy.

Shizuku sat down on a chair in what I took to be the living room, and I sat down on a couch that was facing her direction. I was about to speak, but she had beaten me to the point.

"If this is about me knowing your secret with Dark, you can trust me to _keep _that a secret, Daisuke. You can certainly count on me, but if this is about what happened last night, I will only answer certain questions that you may have. Depending on what Dark has told you so far..." She said, as if it was the most normal topic in the world to be talking about.

"Well, you see Shizuku, Dark actually won't tell me anything concerning what happened last night, he only told me that you knew the secret. I actually just wanted to see if you were okay, since I don't know what happened, or what Dark did last night." I said, really concerned on what her reaction might be. Suprising both me and Dark, she giggled.

"Well, seeing that Dark didn't tell you anything, that shows that he _can _be trust worthy after all, but don't worry Daisuke, it's not like he threatened me or anything, you should really have more faith in your other self. But anyway, is there anything in specific that you wanted to talk about?" Shizuku replied, still having that same smile on her face. Except this time, it seemed different than in the past, almost like it was, softer, or more genuine.

**_"Yeah Daisuke, you should have more faith in me, you know I wouldn't hurt such a pretty girl like her..." _**Dark said, teasing me even more than usual.

I was too busy with Dark to notice her getting up from the chair, and walking into the kitchen. But I did notice when she returned with two mugs of hot tea, and placed one of them infront of me. (A/N: Haha, I made a rhyme! ^^)

"Oh, thanks." I said, before taking a sip, the flavor was quite perticular, it tasted sweet, but also minty. It wasn't like it was bad or anything, it was actually some of the best tea I have ever tasted. But I still couldn't think of what flavor it might be. Wait, why am I thinking about the tea right now? I should be thinking about asking what happened last night!

"Do you like it?" She said, putting her mug on her lap, and looking at me.

"Yeah, I do, but what..'"

"Flavor is it?" she said, cutting me off, "It's my own special blend actually..." Shizuku was starting to get me off topic again, but she also realized this, and started up the conversation.

"So tell me, what is it that you want to know? I won't tell you everything, since I'm not exactly an open book Daisuke, if you haven't noticed. But I will say that I _do _trust you, both of you." She said, the grin returning to her face, she placed the mug of tea on the small table to her right, and looked at me, awaiting for a quesion for her to answer.

"Well, how did you find out that I was Dark?" I asked, that question had been bothering me, since Dark hadn't told her, how did she know?

"Wow, Dark didn't really tell you a thing, did he?" She said, and I shook my head as a reply, "Well like I told him, I have a... how would you say, _special _ability, meaning that I can read auras. And it was clear to me that you and Dark had the exact same aura, which is virtually impossible unless you are one and the same."

"Oh, I see..." I said, well, not really, I was still pretty confused on the matter. "But how do you read auras? Like how does it really work?" I asked, probably with a confused look on my face.

"I-I don't really know how to explain it Daisuke... I guess it's like, reading a book in a way. Like when I see the aura, I see the personality, and what kind of energy you have. Although people are much harder to read than books, because most peole prefer to be kept closed..." Shizuku was now looking to her right, away from me.

"Shizuku, that's amazing. I would never of expected that you could of done something like that." I said, she looked a little shocked by my reaction to her story, and she looked at me again, a little confused on why I was so happy. But then she smiled at me, and her eyes looked like they were starting to water, but as fast as the tears on the brim of her eyes came, they were gone again, like they never happened.

"What's the matter?" I asked, she always had been trying to hide things, I knew that. But I really didn't want her to hide the emotions she might be feeling with a fake smile. Which just seemed to be the case.

"O-Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just, no one ever has said anything like that to me. Trust me, I'm not depressed, I'm actually quite... happy."

And as soon as she said that, my mind was made up. I now knew that I would try to be a great friend to Shizuku, and make sure that she kept that smile. I wished that I could of stayed longer, but I knew too well that Mom would be in a frenzy if I got home late.

"Sorry I have to go Shizuku, but if you ever need to talk, just come and find me." I said, leaving the house, and meaning every word that I had said.

**_"You still don't know all that much about her, do you Daisuke?" _**Dark said, while I was running to get home.

_"It's true that I don't know all that much, but I have learned something." _I said, now with a new found confidence.

**"_If it's about her talent, I already knew that, so in a way, that's nothing new..." _**Dark said, trying to sound more confident than I felt, although I knew that would be impossible.

_"Actually, I was talking about Shizuku's personality... In a way, **she **is like a book, one that is closed up tight. But I'm gonna make a goal right here that I'm gonna finish that book some day, because I know that if I try hard enough, it will eventually open." _I said, knowing that there was no way that Dark could make a decent comeback to my discovery.

_**"That's a nice theroy Daisuke, but just remember, some things are better off left alone." **_Was the last thing he said, before he cut off the conversation between us, leaving me with my thoughts.

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**_Later that night..._**

**No one's POV:**

On the rooftop, the girl stood for hours, and for only one reason. To see the thing that she had onced believed in so long ago, and she hoped that it would come out tonight. For if it did, then she would truely believe, and she knew deep down that she always would.

Suddenly, she saw it, as it jetted across the inky black sky, so fast that she almost didn't have time to say the words that she had wanted to.

She looked at the shooting star, knowing that it must be the sign that she was looking for. The thing that had proved that wishing three times fast, and pinning all of your hopes on that wish that might some day come true, could work.

"Thank you..." Was all she said, before she bowed honorably at the sky, meaning those two words with all of her heart.

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**A/N: Alright! Here it is! Sorry if it is a little short, but I've got bad writter's block! And also, sorry if you didn't like the last part, I know I stink at writting stuff like that. Btw, I mentioned Pokemon in this chapter because I totally luv em'!**

**Shizuku: Then why did you make me despise them?**

**Me: Because that's who you are, so deal with it! ;)**

**Shizuku: Please, do you even _know_ who I am? I mean what is my secret already? The suspence is really killing me, I mean, it is _my _life.**

**Me: Okay, okay, your secret is that you *wisper wisper*.**

**Shizuku: Seriously? That's all you've got? You're making all these readers wait so you can just tell them that I- *mouth gets covered by my hand***

**Me: Don't spoil it Shizuku! Anyway, plz review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello, all my readers, just to let you know, I will and try to post every weekend, since I don't have all that much time in the week to write, ya know, with school keeping me busy. But anyway, here is chapter 6, which by the way, took many hours of typing, late nights, tons of rewriting, and about six bags of microwave popcorn. ;) But anyway, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 6: Friendship?**

**Satoshi's POV: **

I really don't understand that girl, not at all. True, it may have been a little rude of me to pull her into the room like that, but I only wanted to know what happened the night of the robbery. And even when I asked her, she lied straight to my face. I might not of said anything, but I knew that the story that she gave me had not been the truth.

I have to admit that she is a pretty good liar though, I had almost fallen for that fake tale. Almost.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't answer my questions, which I might have expected, but the way that she did it had shocked me. At first, she was defending herself, saying that she knew her rights, and I respected that of course. Since she obviously wasn't one who would break easily, or completely open up to someone that she barely knew. But then, when I said that I had wanted to know her better, her attitude had changed. It had seemed more, depressed like as if she was on the brink of tears. But she had brushed it off as if it was nothing to her, and moved on.

I found myself staring at Shizuku, since she sat two rows in front of me, it wasn't hard. Her hair in their usual pigtails, which I noticed that she always wore in front of her shoulders instead of against her back. She was staring out the window, not really paying attention to the lecture that the teacher had been giving to the rest of the class. Unfortunately, the teacher had seemed to realize this as well.

"Shizuku, could you please tell me how to find the answer to word problem number 7?" She had looked up as her name had been called, and took a brief look at the problem that the teacher was talking about.

_She's screwed... _I thought to myself, since the problem involved a new formula that the teacher had just taught to the class today.

"You have to add together the two integers together and then divide the sum by the value of _x _which you can figure out by using the diversionary rule on both coordinates." She said, followed by the correct setup and answer.

The teacher then looked at her for a minute, a shocked expression on his face. Probably wondering how she came up with the answer so fast with only using her head. But the teacher nodded all the same, and returned to his next lecture.

And Shizuku, fixed her gaze once more on the outside environment. No longer paying a word of attention to what the teacher had been saying.

_Impressive... _I already knew that Shizuku defiantly wasn't stupid, but she certainly was intelligent. And now, I too, was impressed even more with her capability.

**_"Why does she seem to interest you so much, Master Satoshi?" _**Krad asked me, out of nowhere. Fortunately, I already had prepared a couple of answers to this question, just in case Krad _did _decide to ask me that particular question.

_"Well you seem to be a little interested in her..." _I started to respond, which had been true. It didn't take much to realize that Krad had mixed feelings for Shizuku. Most of those feelings being homicidal, without a doubt.

I knew that she didn't pose an obvious threat to anyone, not even in the slightest. And yet, Krad was still thinking bitterly about this girl. This one particular girl that seemed no different from the others at just a glance...

**_"Perhaps there is more than meets the eye with people like her, as I hope that you will come to realize with time, Master Satoshi..." _**Finishing his argument with what sounded like a half laugh, and a half grunt.

_"What do you mean Krad?" _I yelled at him, now feeling my blood boil with frustration. _"What do you mean 'more than meets the eye'? For god's sake, just stop talking in puzzles, and give it to me straight already!" _I was pissed off, since I hate it when Krad does this kind of thing to me. It's so damn annoying, and he is just trying to make it even **more **complicated.

_**"I suppose I could just tell you, but then again, it wouldn't be as much fun that way." **_And before I could yell at him even more, he left my mind, probably just to tease me even more.

Still frustrated, I looked down at the book in front of my desk, attempting to read it. But my mind still wandered, so much that I could barely pay attention to what I had been reading. Whenever I tried reading a page, I would only process bits and pieces of the sentences, and when I reached the bottom of the page, what I read would have not made any sense. So I then decided that this page must have been boring, and turned to the next one, although I didn't know the story. Oh well.

Several pages of mashed up words later, I came to notice that the bell for lunch had begin to ring, and everyone was getting up from their seats.

As I closed my book and stood up, Daisuke walked up to me. "Hey Satoshi, do you want to have lunch with Riku, Shizuku and I?" He asked, the two girls standing behind him.

"You dont have to if you don't want to, Satoshi." Riku said to me, probably expecting me to decline the offer.

"I actually think I will, this time." I told him, and my gaze then shifted to Shizuku, who was staring at the floor.

"Great!" Daisuke said, and then the three of us started to walk outside, and we all sat down at an empty table. Daisuke and Riku sat next to each other, of course. And I took a seat right next to Shizuku.

Honestly, I wanted to come to lunch with them was to maybe get a little closer to her. Perhaps, if she learned to trust me, she might open up, revealing some secrets she might have along the way.

But Shizuku didn't seem so interested in talking, or eating for that matter. As soon as she sat down, she had opened a book. I wondered why she wasn't eating, but then again, I won't get very far by just wondering what she does.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I questioned. Riku and Daisuke were now looking at her, as if awaiting to her the answer for themselves as well...

"Don't need to, so it's a waste of my time." She responded, not even looking up from the book to face me. I was I little confused by this, but for some reason, the other two thought of it as nothing, and were brought back to their previous conversation.

I was about to open my mouth again, but I felt my cell phone start to vibrate inside my pocket. Taking it out, I saw that it was my father, "Excuse me for a minute." I said, and walked away from the table. _What does he want?_

"Hello Satoshi! I have some interesting news for you..." He said, probably talking about another warning letter from Dark being sent out.

"Yes, what is it?" I said, not really all that interested right now.

"I know this is a little last minute, but tonight you are to accompany me to a formal party that is being held at the Utsukushi-sa Art Museum." He said, more like telling me than asking me.

"Yes, I'll be there..." I said, before hanging up on him. I truly despised these parties, but it wasn't like I really had a choice. Letting out a sigh, I reluctantly walked back to the table, and finished my lunch. I stayed quiet for the remainder of the time, much like Shizuku did.

_Wait... did my father say the Utsukushi-sa Art Museum? _I thought, and remembered that indeed, he did. I looked at Shizuku, who was still paying no attention to my presence, and felt myself smirking.

_I guess that means that she will be there as well... _A perfect opportunity to really have a private conversation with her.

As I heard the bell ring, I walked back to class with a smile on my face, one I might add, that faded quite quickly. _What if she doesn't go? _I wondered, because if she wasn't, that would sure put a damper on things. Since there was really no other way that I could see, to really talk to her. _I need to find out for sure, but how? _

I pondered at possibilities, thinking of a way to ask her if she was going. But of course, if I were to ask her, I would need to make it seem as if I ran into her by accident. I would need to make it look like I was just having a normal conversation with her. Which of course, would be tricky.

And then I remembered, I remembered a little piece of information that could be very useful... as long as Shizuku didn't catch on.

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"See you guys tomorrow!" I said, waving goodbye to Daisuke and Riku, who were going an opposite direction from me. So, I decided to head back to my house, until I had to make an appearance at that fancy party tonight.

_It's going to be the same as always, isn't it? Just a bunch of stuck up adults who want to brag about their rank of employment... _I complained to myself, knowing I would dread being there. I used to go to gatherings like that all over the world. Why? Because my mother was a rich and famous preformer, that's why. And now, everyone wanted to know who the daughter of this lady might be, probably expecting a beautiful, multi-talented and classy young woman. Too bad they would just have to settle for me.

"Hello, Shizuku." I turned around, just to come face to face with Satoshi.

"Oh, hello Satoshi..." I said in reply. _This is strange... _I thought to myself, _I know that his house is this way, but I have never really bumped into him before on my way home... _Something was defiantly up.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" He asked, still not showing any obvious emotion, which I noticed he was really good at.

"I don't see why not." I said still smiling at him, but then continued on walking forward, Satoshi walking next to me.

It was silent for a while, but he was the one to start the conversation. "I think we got off on the wrong foot..." He said, fixing his gaze from the ground, to me. But I continued to look down at my feet, feeling his eyes watching me.

"I just think we should start over, because I think that we could become... friends." And as he said that word, I felt my eyes droop, knowing that I was depressed. But I didn't show it, since I wouldn't want him to see me like that. I never wanted _anyone _to see me like that... ever.

I stopped walking as I felt a hand come down on my shoulder, and I turned my head around, his blue eyes looking into mine.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, because right now, I felt hopelessly confused on what was happening. I could tell that my expression looked confused, but that was how I felt. Seeing this, Satoshi let go of my shoulder, and his expression seemed to change as well. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was as if something had changed, especially in his eyes.

"I just want to say, that... I want to understand you, Shizuku."

"But _why _do you want to understand me? Answer me that." I said, now feeling a bit of anger rise up inside me. I was pretty sure that my stare was cold, or at least threatening, but if it was, Satoshi didn't seem to notice.

"Because..." He started, and then stopped, as if to try and gather his thoughts. Although I doubted he had any at the moment.

"That's what I thought, you don't even know _why _you are going through all of this trouble. And if you ask me, you're just wasting your time here." Was all that I said to him, and started to walk away briskly, but he took hold of my wrist.

This time however, I didn't look at him, I looked at my feet. I felt my heart beating faster, for what reason it might be, I didn't have a clue.

"Because you seem so, different," He said, still holding onto my wrist, "I've never met anyone like you before, and it's true that I don't know much about you. I know that, but for some reason, not knowing anything about you, bothers me." He said, and I really didn't know what to say back. Honestly, I had been thinking about staying here in Azumano, but I was still undecided.

"I-I..." Still speechless, I tried to find something to say to him right now, anything. "I-I don't know, so I can't give you an answer just yet..." I wispered, but I wasn't sure if he could even hear me. But appearently, he did, and finally released me.

"Okay, I'll be here whenever you have an answer. See you later, Shizuku." He said, and walked across the street, and went on his way from there.

_What just happened?_

* * *

_**Later that night...**_

**Satoshi's POV:**

_I guess I forgot to ask Shizuku if she was coming to the party... Oh well. _I thought, leaning against a wall, watching the other people socializing among each other. Some were dancing, while others were just talking, bragging about their employment no less.

**"_Oh, what seems to be the matter?"_**Krad asked, **_"Did you want to ask that girl to come with you, Master Satoshi?" _**He continued, obviously trying to piss me off, and he was half succeeding.

_"That's not what I meant! Now leave me alone Krad!" _I snarled at him, and reluctantly, he did, right after laughing in my face. Well, not literally, but you get the idea.

"Satoshi! How are you?" My father said as he walked up to me. _Oh joy... _

"Might I ask what you are doing here all alone? You should try socializing with people..." He said, starting to annoy me, "Come to think of it, I think I might have seen a girl your age out in the garden. She seemed to be all alone, so why don't you try to talk to her?" He said, now catching my attention. _Could it be her?_

As a responce, I just nodded towards my father, and headed out for the garden. I knew I was probably getting my hopes up with this, but there still may be a chance that Shizuku might be here. After all, a lonely girl all by herself? That description seemed to fit her perfectly.

I strolled outside, and looked around for her, which I figured wouldn't be that hard, since no one was really out here in the first place. Which was a little strange, seeing how beautiful the scenery really was, and apparently, I wasn't the only one that thought so.

It was hard to tell at first glance, but I knew it had to be Shizuku. She was sitting on a stone bench, all by herself, and was looking up at the darkened sky, but she looked like she might have been bored out of her mind. I didn't know if it was her at first mainly on her appearance. She was wearing a dark blue night gown that was a couple inches above her ankles, and a white ribbon wrapped around the waist. On top of that, she wore a sort of a long sleeved mini jacket, which was white, and matched the thin formal gloves that were on both her hands. And on top of that, her hair had been down, half of it against her back, and the other half next to her face. And she, like myself, was no longer wearing her glasses.

"Fancy meeting you here," I said, right before I approached her and sat down on the bench, right next to her.

"Oh, hello Satoshi..." She said, as if she had been expecting me or something. She looked at me for a brief moment, before looking away from me. But I found myself smirking on how her personality had seemed to change over such a small period of time. It was as if the girl I was sitting next to right now, was a completely different person than the one that I had bumped into, _literally, _at school.

"Can you see without your glasses?" I asked, I knew I could see without mine, but I thought that she would need hers.

"Pretty well, I only need glasses for reading, but I forget to take them off sometimes."

For a few moments, it was silent, which seemed to make the atmosphere quite uncomfortable. I looked over at her again, although she was looking another direction, not noticing me stare.

"So I'm guessing you are here since you own the museum?" I asked, already knowing the answer, but still longing to converse with her about something.

"Yes, that is why I needed to make an appearance, much to my dismay." She said, now in a hunched over position, with her right elbow on her knee, and her right hand holding up her chin as she leaned forward. Not even bothering to make eye contact again.

"Ah, so you don't want me to be here to keep you company?" I asked, attempting to tease her a little. "Because if I am such a bother to you, I guess I'll just leave now..." I said before I gave her a shrug, and started to get up.

"That is not what I meant, and you very well know it." She said in a playful tone, now looking up at me. I held out a hand to help her up, which she accepted.

"Now, would you care to join me in a dance?" I asked, still smiling at her, since the music from inside had been carried out into the garden, it seemed like a good opportunity.

"I don't think that I have much of a chance, do I?" Still being playful, she asked me. And I shook my head 'no'.

I placed both of my hands on her waist, pulling her only a few inches away from me. She then reluctantly placed her hands on my shoulders, and looked down, probably attempting to hide the small blush that appeared on her cheeks.

I started to dance with her, noticing that she was already quite good at it. After a while, she started to rest her head on my chest, which caused me to feel a sudden warmth to rise up on my cheeks. But I think that I liked it, it just felt so... perfect. So I wrapped both my arms around her waist, and squeezed her tight, and laying my head on top of hers.

**_"You know that it can't last..." _**I heard a voice say, the voice inside of my head. The one that I hated the most, but deep down, I knew that he was right. I knew I couldn't care for anyone, yet, I felt a... special connection with Shizuku. One that I couldn't explain, but I knew that it was there, and I knew that I have never felt like this before. The only question was... how did Shizuku feel towards me?

"...Satoshi?" I heard her whisper, and something in her voice seemed off. She didn't seem like herself, her usual cheery self, seemed to melt away.

"What is it?" I asked, lowering my head, so it would be right next to her ear.

"How..." She started, "H-How do you feel about me?" I looked at Shizuku, and saw her in a way that I never have before. She looked so... small, and broken, like at any moment, she would fall apart.

"Shizuku..." I was at a loss for words, what was I supposed to say? Should I just tell her the truth? I knew I had to say something, I couldn't just leave her without an answer, but what could I say?

"I-I think, that I love you" But those words were not my own, and had not come from my mouth. They had come from Shizuku's.

"I love you too..." I said, and hugged her even tighter than before, never wanting to let go...

* * *

**Poor Satoshi, look at what he has gotten himself into... Oh well, btw, sorry for not revealing Shizuku's secret yet, that will still be in the later chapters. Which is _still _need to figure out, oh, and I apoligize for the rotten fluff. I'm not much of a lovey dovey writer, but I try my best! And do I even need to remind you to click that review button? No, I thought not.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, but I was pretty busy this weekend with Halloween and everything... But hey, here is chapter 7, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: No Longer Alone

**Shizuku's POV:**

_I wasn't sure where I was, but something about this place seemed very familiar to me... _

_It was a small apartment, not very big in size at all. The walls were painted plain white, and there were only a couple pieces of furniture in the room I was currently in, which seemed to be a type of living room. There were blinds on the windows, but they were all closed shut, making the room very dim, and giving it an eerie feeling._

_"Where am I?" I asked out loud, although I seemed to be talking to no one. I was confused, I didn't have the slightest idea where I was or how the hell I had gotten here, and for some reason, deep down, I thought I knew this place, but I couldn't seem to remember at the moment._

_I was still standing out in the open of the room when I heard the front door slam shut, and heard it being locked. One, two, three clicks of the knobs of each individual lock. Unsure what to do, I tried by best to hide from the person that had just entered the apartment, pressing myself against a wall, and behind one of the few pieces of furniture, although I had a feeling that I efforts would prove pointless._

_"I'm back!" A harsh voice had yelled, and took a few footsteps into the living room, and from the tone of voice I knew it was a man, but other than that, I pretty much new nothing about the new person that had just entered._

_Shortly after, I heard more footsteps, I noticed that they were smaller than the previous ones, and a little more rushed. Due to my curious nature, I peered my head a little out of position of my hiding spot, which allowed me to see what was happening in the room._

_"Have you made dinner yet?" The older man asked a small girl, who must have been the one who had rushed into the room just a few moments ago. Her hair was a dirty blond color, which was starting to turn a lightish brunette at its ends, and she looked no more than 8 years olds. And for some reason, she seemed oddly familiar to me..._

_"N-No father, I just finished cleaning the house," She said, obviously very tense, "B-But I can start right now..."_

_But apparently, this was not good enough for her so called 'father', because before she could do anything else, she was smacked across the face, and fell to the ground in pain and shock. Although she did not dare utter a noise._

_"You stupid girl, you can't do anything right, can you?" He said, sneering at the small girl as her as he uttered these words. But the small figure on the ground attempted to stand up once more, which just resulted to him flinging her across the room, and against the wall. A small groan then escaped from her lips, as she started to curl up into a fetal position, bracing herself for whatever might happen next._

_It was hard and cruel for me to watch the event, but for some reason, I couldn't force myself to look away, as the father beat the smaller figure again and again, showering a series of punches and powerful kicks to her chest, despite her attempt to protect herself. _

_A couple seconds later, the male figure had stopped, and looked down at his daughter, who was no longer moving, and had started to breathe uneasy._

_"Do you think I am playing around with you?" He asked her, but received no response. Seeing that she wouldn't answer him, he seemed even more enraged than before, and pulled something for out of his pants pocket, something of which I couldn't seem to make out at first. But then I realized what it was, and widened my eyes in sheer horror, it was a small pocket knife, but a knife none the less._

_"Leave her alone!" I yelled, finding the courage to reveal myself from where I was previously hidden. But the man didn't notice me, he acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, or as if I wasn't even there. And he began to slash at the arms of the crumpled up figure on the floor, leaving marks that would probably someday turn into scars. The girl, made no sound, as she shed her silent tears down her face._

_This was too unbearable for me to watch, I knew I couldn't just stand here and not try to help her. Because, I think that I finally had a feeling where I was, and who these people actually were._

_"Stop!" I yelled, and this time tried to punch the man right across the face, knowing it was risky, but the only way. But as my fist had tried to make contact with him, it passed right through, as if I were some kind of ghost, and couldn't come in any kind of contact with them._

_I tried again, this time to kick him in the back, but I got the same result as when I tried to punch him. This can't be happening... I thought in my mind, because I couldn't think straight. This girl was being abused right in front of my eyes, and I couldn't do anything else but watch her suffer._

_Suddenly, I heard something else, one, two, three clicks of the locks of the door, and I heard it be shut, and the locks click once more. Indicading that someone else had entered this dreaded apartment. A couple of more footsteps later, another figure entered the living room. This time a boy, probably not much older than 13 years old. He had dirty blond hair that was fashionably scruffy, and was wearing a type of school uniform. He wasn't aware what was happening at first because he was looking for something inside his bag._

_"Hey, I'm home..." He said, before looking up at the horrendous scene in front of him, and he dropped his bag to the ground, not caring about the contents that spilled out onto the floor._

_"Dad!" He yelled, his hands not balled up into fists, and a glare in his brown eyes, "What the hell are you doing?" The boy yelled once again, before pulling the man he had called 'dad' off of the girl, the knife in his hand dripping with her blood._

_"Shut up boy!" The man yelled, and threw the knife to the ground, thinking he would no longer need it. "What does it look like? Your idiotic sister screwed up again, so I needed to teach her a lesson."_

_"You said that you wouldn't do this anymore!" The boy yelled up at the man, not caring that he was shorter than him, and probably weaker. "Just leave her alone, just, go to bed or something." He said, now looking away from his father, and at the girl, who still had not moved._

_"Whatever, you should really learn to watch your mouth, you don't want me to treat you like your sister do you?" The man said, before storming out of the apartment, not bothering to lock the door behind him. As soon as the boy heard him leave, he rushed over to the girl, who I was now guessing was his sister, and checked her pulse._

_"Don't worry sis," He said to her in a sympathetic tone, before he carried her over to a couch, and laid her down. He then left her there to find something inside his backpack, picking up the scattered contents, and looking for something else._

_While he was doing this, I walked over to the couch and looked at the girl, who seemed badly bruised around her body, and cut in various places up and down both her arms, which were still drawing a bit of blood. I hoped that she would be okay, and I had felt a little guilty that I couldn't do anything to help her. She slowly opened her eyes, but like the others, did not see me, and she just stared at the ceiling, until her brother returned with some bandages._

_"Sorry I wasn't back earlier," The boy said as he sat his sister up, and started to wrap her arms, "I really thought that I would be home before him, honest."_

_"It's okay, I upset father, it was my fault." The girl said in a whisper, wincing at the pain she was in._

_"No, it's not okay," He said, his expression a little more tense, "He has no right to treat you like that, and you never do anything wrong, so stop putting yourself down all the time."_

_"B-But..." The girl began, but was soon cut off by her brother._

_"But nothing," The boy answered as he finished wrapping her arms in the bandages, "Our father's a dead beat, and you know that. He even pulled you out of school so you could just work all the time. It's not fair, and I'm going to find a way to fix this, trust me." And then sat down on the couch, next to the little girl._

_"I do trust you, I really do... But Seiji?" She said, now looking up at him._

_"Yes?" The boy called Seiji replied._

_"Promise me that you will never leave me alone," She said, tears wielding up in her eyes._

_He then pulled the girl into a small hug, very careful not to hurt her, and whispered in her ear something I almost didn't make out..._

_"I'll never leave you alone, Himeko..."_

* * *

I then woke up in my bed, and in a cold sweat, tear stains on both of my cheeks. I looked around me and saw that I was still in my room, nothing untouched or out of place.

"Just a dream, just a dream," I whispered to myself, inaudible for anyone else to hear, "But... it felt so... real." I said, talking to myself, which made me look as if I were crazy.

And I knew the reason that it had felt so real, it was because it wasn't only a dream. _It was a memory... _I thought in my head, _the kind of dream you have lived, and can not ever wake up from. _I thought again, now standing up on my legs.

I walked a short distance to my open window, and climbed up onto the rooftop once more, just longing for a place to think. What I wanted to think about, I was unsure of. Why? Because there _was _nothing to think about, nothing that I wanted to think about anyway.

_Why would I have that dream? Why now? I've never had it before..._I thought, (Okay, so now I was thinking about something) and my right hand had made its way to hold my left arm, since it was a bit chilly up here, and I was only wearing a short sleeved shirt and some pants. Although I never wear anything short sleeved in public, no matter what the weather.

Looking down at my arm, I saw the reason for my fashion choice, multiple scars up and down both of my arms, some larger than others, but they were still there. Yes, I was that little girl, the one that couldn't defend herself, the one that had been so cruelly abused. That dream was a piece of my past, the one I had tried so desperately to forget, but like the scars, the memories remained.

I then curled up into a ball, still sitting on the cold rooftop, my chin now on my knees, and my eyes looking out in front of me. Those memories had hurt so much, and that one was one of the most painful, because that day, a promise was made to me, one that had not been kept.

"You left me alone, Seiji..." I said out loud, knowing that he wouldn't hear me, but I didn't think that it mattered. It was the truth, no matter how much it hurt for me to admit it, he had left me all alone, by myself.

But now, I wasn't completely alone, not anymore. I had made friends, something that I'd never thought I would do. But Riku, Daisuke, and even... Satoshi. I felt a warmth rise up to my cheeks at the thought of last night, at the thought of what he said to me.

_"I love you too..." _Those four words had been swirling around my mind ever since he had said them, and the warmth on my cheeks became deeper and more intense. The only question was, did he mean them? I mean, did I mean the words that I had said to him? I thought that I might love him, maybe. I was never in this kind of position before, but then again, I never exactly felt like this before.

But, still, why would I say that to him? It just didn't make sense, me, a girl who has basicly gone her whole life without making friends, or bothering with stupid emotions like love, was falling for him? A boy she had barely known?

Like I said, it just doesn't make sense. But nothing seems to anymore, at least, not to me.

I looked in the distance, and saw the sun start to rise up into the sky. Indicating that it was the beginning of a brand new day, a day to help me figure things out.

_At least I'm not alone..._

* * *

**Daisuke's POV:**

I walked into class just a minute before the bell rang, and took my seat in the front row. But apparently, the teacher was going to be later to class than me, seeing that they were not in the room, even after the bell had rung. When everyone in the class saw this, they immideately broke into conversation. I walked over to Riku's desk, to talk with her, and possibly Shizuku if she was in the mood to talk. But when I looked over at Riku, the seat next to her was empty.

"Hi Riku, where's Shizuku?" I asked her, and in return, I recived a shrug.

"Don't know, she never showed up this morning." She said, "I hope she's okay..."

"You shouldn't worry too much," I said, because I hated to see her worry, "I'm sure she just had a cold or something, probably nothing to worry about."

"I guess you're right Daisuke, she probably just has a cold." Riku said, but she still seemed distracted about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, seeing that she still wore a worried look on her face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking..." She said, and started to stare out the window. "I was thinking that maybe... Shizuku might have moved away..."

"What?" I said, not really thinking about that possibility, "She would have told us if she was..." I told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

_I mean, she would tell us... Wouldn't she?_

"You know what Daisuke? You're right, I was just getting worried over nothing!" I heard Riku say, "I mean, Shizuku wouldn't just leave all of a sudden without telling anyone, that's not really like her." And then she flashed me one of the smiles that I loved.

Just as I nodded, the teacher just walked into the classroom, apologizing for arriving so late. But all the same, every one took their seats as class began.

* * *

_**Shortly after class finished...**_

"Excuse me, Daisuke?" I heard the teacher say as I was packing up my bag to go home.

"Yes? What is it Sensei?" I asked her as I walked over to the teacher's desk.

"Since Shizuku is out today, would you mind bringing her today's homework?" She said, while holding a couple of papers out to me. "I mean, out of all the people in the class, she seems to have become most acquainted with you." The teacher told me, and in response, I nodded and took the papers from her hand.

_Guess I will be seeing Shizuku today after all... _I told myself, a smile emerging on my face.

_**"You should stop thinking about Shizuku like that, after all, you do have a girlfriend..." **_I heard Dark say, causing my smile to fade, and be replaced with an annoyed sigh.

_"It's not like that Dark, Shizuku's just a good friend, and you know that." _I told him, repeating the obvious. I don't know why, but Dark has been teasing me much more than he usually did in the past.

**_"You sure have a strange taste in friends, Daisuke..." _**Dark told me, sounding a little more serious than before. It was hard to tell if he was still making fun of me, but there was a certain tone in his voice that gave me the impression that he wasn't.

_"What do you mean Dark?" _I asked him, but then remembered something that Dark had said a long time ago. _"You still don't think that there's something wrong with her, do you?" _Recalling when the four of us went to the mall, and Dark was telling me about being careful around Shizuku.

But after I had asked my question, Dark had become silent, which was rare for him to do when we were in the middle of a conversation. _Is Dark hiding something from me? _I thought, because it seemed to be a logical explanation for his sudden change in behavior.

"Hello Daisuke," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. Turning around, I saw that it had been Satoshi who was talking to me. "Are you bringing Shizuku her homework or something?" He asked me, before I could even say a hello in return.

"Hi Satoshi," I finally said, "Yea, I am bringing Shizuku her homework, how did you know?" I asked him, since it was a little peculiar that he already knew.

"I heard the teacher ask you too..." He said plainly, "Is it alright if I come with you? Her house is on the route to my apartment, so it's not out of the way for me." He asked me, probably already expecting me to agree.

"Of course." I said, not really knowing how to say no to him. And with that, we started to walk down the street together, both of us keeping silent. Which I must say felt very awkward...

"So, why did you want to come?" I asked, Satoshi now looking at me. "Is it only because this is on your way home?" He seemed to be subconsciously glaring at me, but then looked up at the sky, avoiding eye contact.

"No reason, just thought that I'd tag along..." He said, but something in his voice seemed off. It was like he was lying straight to my face, but I couldn't tell why he would do such a thing. So we walked on, not daring to say anything else, I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the way.

I walked up to the house, like I had done a couple of days ago, and knocked on the door a couple times.

"Coming..." I heard a small voice say from inside, and the door opened up to reveal Shizuku. She was dressed in baggy, oversized clothes, and a white hoodie, which I didn't understand why she was wearing, since it had been particularly warm out today, but I just decided to ignore that little fact.

"Hey Shizuku, we came over to give you your homework..." I said, and handed her the papers. She took them from me and looked at them briefly before she spoke.

"Thanks, I wasn't feeling well this morning, but I'm better now." She said, looking at me, and taking a glance behind me, where Satoshi was standing. "Would you like to come in?" She asked, and took a side step to allow entrance.

"Sorry, but I can't stay," I said, since Mom had wanted me back home kind of early today, for a reason that I was unaware of, "See you later!" I said, before turning to run off. And left the two of them alone, not really thinking about anything that could go wrong.

* * *

**Satoshi's POV: **

Daisuke had left, so it gave me a perfect chance to be alone with Shizuku, to tell her that nothing could ever happen between us. And I hoped that she would understand, although I knew she never could, she would never know that I was doing this for _her_, and her safety.

"Can I talk to you Shizuku?" I said, as soon as I knew for sure that no one else was in ear shot.

"Of course," She said, and gestured me to come inside, which I did. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you too, Satoshi." She said, looking at he floor. It was obvious that she didn't look well.

"Are you okay Shizuku?" I asked, because she seemed very uneasy. She looked up at me with a confused look, as if she didn't understand my question. But before long, she was smiling again, just like she always did.

"Of course I am, I just wanted to talk to you about... last night." She said, the smile almost immediatley fading as she said the last two words.

"Listen, about that..." I started, knowing that I would have to tell her, since she had gotten right to the point.

"I understand if you don't really like me like that," I heard Shizuku say, her voice a little bit hurt. "Last night I put you in an awkward position, and I wanted to apologize... And I really would understand if you didn't really mean what you said to me."

I wasn't sure what to say to her, I mean what I said last night, I believed that it was true, I really did. But at the same time, I didn't want Krad to hurt her, I knew that if that happened, there might have been a chance that I wouldn't be able to protect her. And if there was a chance of her getting hurt, I wouldn't want to take it. But now, I was almost completely out of options.

_What should I do? _I thought, _If I care for her, then Krad will hurt her, but if I tell her that I don't care, then **I'm **__the one that's hurting her... _Crap, why did I have to be in a situation like this? There was no way out, so I guess I would just have to come out with it, once and for all.

"Shizuku, I do like you, I really do..." I said, but once again she cut me off, not even letting me finish.

"You just don't like me in that way," She said, just assuming that I was going to say what she had been expecting. "And that's okay Satoshi, it really is..." Shizuku was now looking me in the eyes, which to me, looked full of sadness, but she still had a small smile.

"That's not it... Shizuku, I really meant what I said last night, honest. But, we just can't be together..." I told her, and then wrapped her in my arms, feeling her gentle heartbeat. She didn't move, she just stood there, as if she was paralyzed.

"I'm sorry, it's just... complicated." I whispered into her ear, not knowing how to explain the situation any better than that.

"I said that I would understand, and it's okay really..." Her voice sounded the slightest bit depressed, but I knew how she must have been feeling. Because honestly, I think she felt almost the exact way that I did, broken.

"No, it's not..." I said, and pulled away so that I could face her, and placed my hand on her cheek, feeling her soft skin on mine. "Listen, I'll find a way to make this work, no matter how long it takes." I told her, feeling confidence rise up inside me. Just being with her, just holding her in my arms, gave me courage. It gave me courage to fight, to fight for Shizuku. Because just looking at her face, seeing her smile, I knew that I wanted to protect that smile... To make sure that it would never get hurt.

She wasn't looking at me anymore, but just staring at her feet, as if she was afraid to look me in the eye. So I started to leave, I knew that I may have rushed into this, even more than she had such a short time ago, and I could tell that she wanted to be alone.

As I walked to the door, Shizuku still standing behind me, I turned around and told her one last thing.

"It's just... you always seem so independent, like you are always fending for yourself." I said, which had been proven true, since my... _research_ on her showed that both of her parents had died a while ago, and she lived by herself.

"I just don't want you to be alone anymore, and I promise that I'll never leave you alone..." I said, before adding something at the end of my sentence, in case it would have to come to that, "...even if we're just friends."

And then, I walked out of her house, and before she closed the door, I heard her say one last thing with a sigh.

"You should never make a promise that you don't keep," And when I turned around, I saw her eyes glued to the ground, and a single tear falling down from her cheek.

"It just makes it hurt more. After all, I would be the one to know." And then, she slammed the door shut, and I heard her turn a single lock.

* * *

**A/N: And here it is! Sorry if it seems that I'm rushing everything, but I actually had another idea for this chapter, but now that idea is going to be in chapter 8, so I guess you're just going to have to stay tuned to find out what happens! (Btw, at the end, when Shizuku was saying how you shouldn't make a promise that you can't keep, she was referring to when Seiji left her all alone, if you didn't already piece that together.) Oh, and just to give you a tiny bit of spoiler, Seiji, the person I said to be Shizuku's brother, is not dead, just to let you know... C ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello! Sorry, I meant to update this as soon as I finished writing, but then, no one is on fanfiction at midnight, aren't they? Anyways, I will be honest, this is not one of my better chapters. But please read it anyway!

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**Chapter 8: The Truth, or Not ^^**

**Riku's POV:**

_Oh man! I am so late! _I thought to myself as I raced down the halls of the school. I accidentally overslept by a couple of minutes, so now I was going to be late for class unless I can make it down this hall in about five seconds.

_Come on, I'm almost there... _I told myself as I was about to rounded the corner of the hallway. I was going as fast as my legs could take me, and I realized only a few short moments later that I shouldn't have been running.

"Oof" Was the only sound that came out of my mouth as I plowed right in to another person who had been running the opposite direction of me. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" I yelled as I started rubbing my head from the small pain of when I hit it on the floor, ya know, after I fell backward from the sudden impact.

"Oh! I'm sorry Riku! I wasn't looking where I was going. Sorry!" And I didn't even have to look up, I knew that I had ran into none other than Daisuke. After all, he was always _way _too apologetic.

"No it's okay Daisuke, it was my fault anyway..." I said as he started to help me up. And as soon as I was on my feet, I heard the first period bell ring. So now, both of us would be late together.

"You don't have to worry about being late," He said, smiling at me, even though I must of looked confused. "The teacher's absent today, and they are looking for a subsitute right now." I was filled with relief, knowing that I wouldn't be marked late for this morning.

So Daisuke and I walked to our classroom together, and I didn't even bother to ask him where he was running before, since I guessed that it wasn't really any of my business. Walking into the classroom, I saw that everyone was already talking, not even noticing the two of us walk in. I walked over to my desk, and saw that Shizuku was once again in the chair next to mine. And as usual, she was staring out the window, looking as if she didn't have a thought in her mind.

I sat down at my desk, and started unpacking the contents of my bag into my desk, just in case I would need them later on.

"You sure are late today," I heard Shizuku say, although she was still focusing on the secnery outside of the building, which was mostly clouds, and an endless blue sky.

"Yeah, got off to a late start this morning..." I told her, if that comment had come from anyone else, I would of just told them to shut it. But I would never say something like that to Shizuku, she was sweet, almost as sweet as Daisuke.

"If you start off late, and try to get everything you wanted to accomplished, it is really a race against you and the day, but in the end, the day will aways win." She said, now looking at me with a smirk on her face. I really didn't have the faintest idea of how she came up with these 'words of wisdom', but it was one of the many ways that she was unique.

"I guess that's true," I said, after giving her little statement some thought, since I did miss out on some things this morning. "I missed my morning practice today, all because I slept late, and then there was a problem with my bike, so I really didn't have the time to fix it..." Thinking back to my series of missfortunes this morning, I was lucky that I could catch the train, if I didn't I might of not even bothered coming to school today.

"Isn't the morning practice optional, not mandatory?" She asked, and she was right, I didn't _have _to be there every morning. But it does help wake me up, after all.

"Yes, it is optional. But how did you know that, Shizuku?" I questioned her, since she wasn't on any sport teams or anything, which is actually a real shame. If you want to know why it's a real shame, it's because Shizuku is a really good athlete, but the only way that I knew that was from gym class. But for some reason, she always wore either a hoodie, or a long sleeved uniform during class, which didn't really make sense. And one time, when I asked her why she did that, she just gave me one response...

_"I get cold easily"_ Was all she would say, and shrug her shoulders.

"I guess it's just a common sense thing, or a well known topic or something." She finally said, pulling me back to our pervious conversation.

"Oh yeah, I guess..." I said, thinking of something else to talk about, but nothing really came to my mind. Well one thing did, but it was more of an idea than a conversation starter.

"Shizuku, how would you like to play some tennis after school today?" I asked her, and if she was confused by the sudden question, she didn't show it.

"Yeah, okay." She said, like she didn't really need to give the question any thought.

"But I'll just warn you, I'm pretty good!" I said, probably sounding either overconfident, or cocky, but Shizuku didn't seem to notice, and turned her head to the door as our subsitute teacher entered the room, silencing the entire class, and began the lesson. Although, I found it quite hard to concentrate, because my mind was set on later today, when I would get to hang out with the girl that was sitting only a few feet away.

* * *

**Daisuke POV:**

I asked Riku if she wanted to something after school, but she said that she was going to play tennis with Shizuku, which to me, seemed pretty random to me. Then again, whenever Riku does something, she always has a purpose, a reason to her madness, if you will. But still, I was baffeled if Riku actually had an objective with this, or if she just wanted to spend time with Shiuzku.

_Or maybe it's some mix of both..._ I thought, but decided to leave the topic alone. It was probably just nothing, so I should worry about it. Although, I was curious of what would happen in their little tennis match. That would be something interesting to watch, and I started to wonder if I could.

"Hey Riku?" I asked her, as I caught up to her and Shizuku from behind. Both turned around to face me, and both were changed out of their outfits into their gym clothes, except Shizuku was wearing a white hoodie on top of hers.

"Hi Daisuke!" She said cheerfully, "Something I can help you with?"

"Actually, I was just wondering if I could watch you guys as you played." I said, and I almost immediately received a reply.

"I don't mind a bit!" Riku said, a grin on her face, and turned to Shizuku. "Do you mind?" She asked her, and all Shizuku did was shake her head, clarifying that I could watch the two of them play.

"Great!" I said, and walked with the two of them to the tennis court on the school grounds, which fortunately was not being used today for practice. sat down on a nearby bench, prepairing to watch the two of them, for what reason, even I wasn't sure of. As Riku took out the equipment, Shizuku slid the two hair bands that were holding her pigtails in place into her hand, stuffing one of them into her pocket, and using the other one to pull her semi long hair into a ponytail, securing it tightly.

"Hey, can you see without your glasses?" Riku asked, two tennis rackets in one hand, and a ball in the other. And in response, Shizuku nodded yet again, and removed the glasses from her face, and placing them in her bag.

_**"Hey, she looks even cuter than before, and you still like Riku?" **_Dark teased, yet again, but this time I dicided to just ignore him, because recently, whatever he seemed to say was just jokes, or just new ways to annoy me. And I decided that the best way to get him to stop was to just act like I didn't care.

_**"Aaawww, don't be like that Daisuke, I was just kidding." **_He said, and this time, I decided to talk to him, but just this once. Ya know, to make my point clear.

_"Everything seems to be a joke to you all of a sudden!" _I said, not caring if I had sounded cold, _"How will I ever be able to tell when you're serious or not? Because honestly, this isn't funny Dark, it's just plain annoying!" _I yelled inside my head, almost saying it out loud. But when Dark suddenly went silent, I realized that I shouldn't have said that. And now, I felt like I had made a terrible mistake.

Brought back to reality, I saw that both girls were already playing, neither one of them missing a single swing. They seemed quite equally matched, and the only question on my mind was of how long they would be able to keep this up.

"Hi Daisuke," I heard someone say behind me, and of course, it turned out to be Satoshi. "What are those two up to?" He asked, while watching Shizuku return Riku's fast ball with ease.

"Riku wanted to play tennis with Shizuku..." I said, realizing that it probably sounded completely random, which it was, but still.

"I see..." He said, and took a seat next to me, indicating that he was interested in watching this match as well. As he looked at Shizuku play, I couldn't help but stare at him, only because I noticed something. I noticed that something was... how would you say it? Off, with Satoshi, like something in his gaze at her was different, but I still couldn't figure out just what it was.

"She sure is more than meets the eye, right?" I said, and his eyes widened the slightest when I had caught him staring at her, but his expression remained calm.

"Yes, I suppose so..." Was his response, still with no obvious emotion, but I could still sense something. _Is everyone hiding something from me? _I asked myself, because it had started to seem like that was what was going on.

I watched as Shizuku whacked the ball with her racket with extra force than before, and in result, Riku had missed, something she was known to do only on rare occasions.

"Wow, nice hit!" She managed to say, but she was panting from exhaustion. "Let's take a break, okay?" Riku said, and Shizuku nodded in agreement.

So the two girls walked towards our direction, both of them noticing Satoshi's presence for the first time.

"Satoshi?" Riku said, as if she was surprised to see him here. "What are you doing here?" She asked, as if she was proving my theory.

"I saw you two playing and decided to watch." He said, now standing, as did I. Shizuku just walked over to her bag, and pulled out a plastic bottle of water, took a sip, and then placed it back. But as soon as she did, something in her bag started to ring. Her attention now on the bag, she rummaged through it until she had found what she had been looking for, a cell phone.

She looked at the front of it, and her glace turned into a sharp glare as she looked at what I presumed to be the caller id. She then ignored the call, and put the phone back into her bag.

"Why didn't you answer that?" I asked, knowing that it really wasn't my business, but hey, I can't help if I'm curious. And besides, I realized that when it came to asking her questions, there would probably be a fifty-fifty chance of her answering you, depending on the question of course.

"It was just my father, he likes to check on me sometimes, but he doesn't really care if I answer or not." She said, and maybe it was just me,but that seemed like a pretty strange answer.

_**"She's lying Daisuke, her father's dead. She told me herself, that night." **_I suddenly heard Dark say, a serious tone in his voice. One that I hadn't heard from him in a long time.

_"Really? But why would Shizuku lie like that?_" I asked, although I didn't really expect him to know the answer.

_**"I'm not exactly sure, but I think that it's because she doesn't want anyone else to worry about her. I mean just think about it for a second Daisuke..." **_He said, also sounding the slightest sympathetic.

_"I guess so..."_ I told him, since after thinking about it, his idea seemed pretty logical.

_Wow, I never knew that Shizuku didn't have any family... _I was telling myself, ..._I always thought she at least had a dad. But, she's really all alone, isn't she?_

"Hey Shizuku, I'm actually pretty tired. Do you mind if we call it in for today?" Riku said, turning her head to face her.

"I understand Riku," She said, a smile emerging on her face, "Just remember, _I _beat _you._" Usually, Riku would of told off anyone that would dare to say something like that. But instead, she just laughed, which sort of surprised me.

"Yeah, I must say, you are better than I expected." She said, before rushing off, saying that she would be late for her train home, so she was the first to leave.

"I better be getting home too, see you guys tomorrow." Shizuku said, before walking away, now leacing me alone with Satoshi.

"Daisuke, I have a question for you, and you have to be honest..." Satoshi said, still staring in the direction that Shizuku had walked.

"What is it?" I asked, not really knowing what to expect from him, except for something concerning either Dark or... Krad.

"Has Dark..." _Of course he's asking about Dark _I thought, "...ever had any suspicions about Shizuku?"

I wasn't sure how to answer him, I mean how would he know about that anyway? _Maybe I should just tell him... _I considered. _I mean, what's the worst that could happen?_

"Actually, Dark has been acting differently lately..." I started to tell him, although he still wasn't facing me. "And, I remember a while ago, he told me to be careful around her, and I didn't understand what he meant. Why?" I asked, and I heard him sigh slightly, when he actually looked at me.

"So him too?" Satoshi said, confusing me slightly. What did he mean '_him too?' _"Krad has been acting suspiciously also, and I have been having the feeling that he has been hiding something from me, although I don't have the faintest idea what it may be." He said, and I could tell that he seemed concerned, I mean, I was too.

"But what does this have to do with Shizuku?" I asked, failing to see a connection between the two topics.

"I'm still not sure myself..." He said, looking away, probably deep in thought. "But, if I were you, I would talk to Dark about this. I mean, I won't get any answers out of Krad, but you may have some more luck than me."

"Alright." Was all I said, before I started walking home, hopelessly confused on what was happening, I couldn't wrap my head around this, it was just too complicated.

_"Dark? Dark are you there?" _I asked, desperately awaiting for a reply.

_**"Yeah, I'm here..." **_He mumbled, as if he seemed a little irritated, _**"So I'm guessing you want to know about what has been going on, huh?" **_Dark said, probably reading my thoughts already, but I nodded anyway.

_**"Listen, I can't explain all of it, only bits and pieces. But when you get back home, talk to your dad." **_

_"What about my dad?" _I asked, _"Is he in on this too?" _

_**"Don't make it seem like we're ganging up on you Daisuke, but a couple of nights ago, I did ask your dad to do some reasearch, so just ask him about what he's found out so far... Then I'll tell you my side of this story." **_Dark said with a sigh. He was no longer joking, I was sure of that, but I really wasn't sure about what I thought about this, what ever it was that was taking place.

But I just knew one thing, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it.

* * *

**Seiji's POV: **

She ignored my phone call this afternoon, either that or she didn't hear her phone ring. But I still had a feeling that she was just avoiding the call, avioding me as much as she could.

And I didn't blame her. Himeko was always the strong type, but she would always aviod trouble the best that she possibly could. And I was trouble, she knew that, heck, even I knew that. But that didn't change the fact that I wanted to see her again, to talk to her face to face, even if she never wants anything to do to me.

Like I said, I still wouldn't blame her, if anyone was to blame here, it would be myself. I still couldn't believe that I broke a promise, an important one that I had made to her, one that if I kept, things would be different now, she would have never been alone like she was now. When I left her, I was idiotic, I wasn't thinking straight, I was confused.

But now, I know exactly what I needed to do, I needed to see her, no matter what it took. Unfortunately, I couldn't find her address in this current town, then again, I never knew any of her addresses, but I still looked for her.

Why was I looking for her? The girl who's heart I must have shattered into a million pieces, and didn't even give a damn at the time?

I wanted to apologize, my eyes were clouded with hate, but now, I see what I have done wrong, and I need to fix it. Him- I mean _Shizuku _and I are the only family we have left, _I'm _the only family that _she _has left. And I didn't want her to hate me, because I never hated her, I always loved my little sister. I always did, and I knew that nothing could ever change that.

_But then, why did I leave? _I ask myself this question everyday, hoping to think of an answer. But I never found one.

I picked up my cell phone, and dialed her home number. _Yes, I can find out her phone numbers, but I can't find out where she lives... _And counted the rings of the phone, until I heard the answering machine give off its beep, a sound I knew well, but never had actually gone as far as to make a message.

"I'm sorry" Was all I said, and hung up the phone, looking at it sorrowfully. Shizuku, my sweet sister, can you ever forgive me?

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**A/N: And here we have it! Sorry if you think that this chapter is a little lame, I kind had to rush through it b/c I got a ton of hw, and two tests to study for this weekend :( But anyways, haha! I ended this chapter with not one, but two cliffhangers! Take that world! And also, just a heads up, it may be two or three more weeks until I update, depending on how much downtime I get, because really, writing is basicly all of my free time now. But hey! No worries! There is a better chapter to come, one in which I hope will be much longer than the rest, but still not boring. Excuse my rambling! But plz leave a review, like the people who do, like Pheo the Flame, and Sapphiet. I 3 my readers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Chapter 9 already? That's... *counts fingers* eight more chapters than I've ever written for a story before! Sorry for such the long wait! but there were a lot of ways the story could go from here, and I wanted to make the right choice for you! **

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**Chapter 9: The Truth, for REAL this Time**

**Shizuku's POV:**

I walked down the empty streets at Azumano, hearing the repetitive rhythm of my feet falling down onto the pavement. I tilted my head upwards, looking at the star lit sky. That was one thing that I had always disliked about being in the city, you would always miss the appearance of the stars, how they pierced through the jet black sky, looking like small little gems. Ones that could never be stolen. If you lived in the city, you would never get to see the stars, because all of the lights that came from the neon signs, the lights at the millions of open apartment windows, the spotlights that never seemed to turn off, that is, unlit daylight arrived.

It was sad that most people wouldn't cherish these little things that can help make your life more, enlightened. And you didn't have to be intelligent to notice them, you just had to... how do you say, "open your eyes" to them.

_Although technically, your eyes are never closed, they are always looking at something, even if that something is darkness, it is still looking and observing._ I thought to myself, but then realized something else. _But your eyes don't really observe, they just send colored images to your brain, which then decipher them into images... and why am I thinking about this again? _I had to wonder, because sometimes, I just remembered random facts that had somehow seeped into my memory over the course of years. But most of them were about topics that no one in particular really cared about.

I was about to continue thinking, just to get all of that pointless information out of my thoughts, but I never got the chance. I stopped, dead in my tracks, and clutched my head in both hands, feeling my fingernails dig deeper into my skull. My mind started to burn and ache, as if someone had just thrown a brick directly at my head.

A could hear a sort of sound from my ears, it was like a high pitch ringing noise. It was very hard to describe, but if I had to, I would say that it would sound as if you had held two microphones together, both turned on high, and creating a noise that you had to cover your ears in order in an attempt to protect them from the harsh noise.

But the problem was, that this noise seemed to be coming from _inside _my head, so there was no way of tuning it out. And this wasn't the first time this has happened either. It has been happening over the course of years, getting much more intense each time that it occurred.

Suddenly, the pain had stopped, and I felt back to normal, well, you know, normal enough. It was strange how these migraines had appeared, then all of the sudden, when it felt like her head was about to split open, it would stop.

"You feeling okay?" I heard a voice behind me say. I hesitated, unsure of what my next move should be. And I had come up with a couple of possibilities of what I could do in a situation like this...

A) I could run away as fast as I could, not bothering to look back. (This was a good option because I was a fast runner)  
B) I could turn around and face this person, and hope it was someone not looking for trouble. (Maybe this should be my choice C...)  
C) I could just turn around and punch this person as hard as I could. (This would probably be followed by choice A, depending on who it was)

I had to think fast, and decided just to do choice B, which could also be followed by another one of my choices, depending on how things work out.

Slowly, I started to turn around, preparing to face whoever may be standing behind me, trying to expect the absolute worst. But nothing could of prepared me for what, or rather _who, _I saw standing on the no longer empty street.

And at that point, I had started to think about several things at once, none of them being pointless. Of course, there was one thought in my mind that stood out among all the rest.

_I should have gone with choice A..._

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**Daisuke's POV:**

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to fall asleep. After all, I couldn't wait much longer, if everyone was keeping something from me, I at least wanted to know what it was! Just a small detail would make me happy, but still, no one had given me even that.

**_"I told you to talk to Kosuke, but you just wimped out like usual, didn't you Daisuke?" _**I heard Dark say, his comment adding to my already rotten mood.

_"I didn't really get a chance, if you didn't notice." _I told him, as soon as I had gotten home, Mom had been giving me a lecture about coming home so late, which I guess, I should have thought of before hand. And before I knew it, she had just sent me off to bed, therefore skipping dinner.

**_"Hey, don't blame me that your mom still treats you like some little kid." _**He said, now starting to sound a little defensive of himself. **_"If you really want to know that badly, I dare you to walk downstairs right now and ask Kosuke." _**Dark continued, emphasizing on the word 'dare'.

I didn't respond, but instead turned over in my bed, face down on my pillow, pondering what Dark had proposed. After all, it did seem to be a pretty decent idea. Dark came up with those from time to time, ya know, sometimes.

**_"Hey!" _**I heard Dark yell, making me jump in surprise, _**"I can hear your thoughts, ya know!" **_He said sternly, probably annoyed by my previous thought. Although, he really shouldn't be reading my thoughts in the first place...

**_"Still here!" _**He yelled, this time, giving me a slight head ache, _**"And besides, it's not like I asked to be in this situation with you! When you think about something, to me, it's like you're talking." **_Dark said, although I already knew about that little tibit of information. So in return, I just rolled my eyes.

"Okay, okay," I said, now sitting up on my bed, "I'll go talk to Dad." I mumbled, giving in to the temptation. At this point, I realized that Mom would probably understand these circumstances, if she chose to listen to me. So I walked downstairs, and saw that almost everyone had been in the living room. Grandpa and Dad were on the couch watching the tv, Towa pouring both of the a cup of tea. Thankfully, Mom was no where in the room, so she couldn't be here to snap at me for not being in bed.

"Hey Dad," I spoke up, causing everyone to look up at me.

"Daisuke," He said in response, acknowledging my presence, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" I heard Towa say, a confused look appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I am," I told her, but then brought my focus back to Dad, who was now standing up, facing me. "But Dad, I needed to talk to you about..." I started, but didn't really know how to phrase the topic, mainly because I wasn't even sure what the topic _was. _

"It's about the research that Dark asked me to, isn't it?" He said, grinning that smile that I had gotten to know so well.

"What research, Kosuke?" I heard Grandpa ask Dad, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Strange, not even Grandpa knew what had been going on. This was weird because Grandpa had always been the wisest, and therefore, the most knowledgeable about most topics. I guess he didn't know about this anymore than I did. But wait, that still brings me back to one important question, **_what WAS this about_**?

"It's a long story, but I think that Daisuke and I need to have a talk," Dad said, taking a short glance at Grandpa, but then started walking toward me. And as he passed me, he whispered something in my ear, so that it was inaudible to everyone else.

"Meet me in the study, we'll talk there..." Was all I heard, and nodded in understanding. After all, most of this house was bugged with cameras and microphones, but the study was one of the few places that wasn't.

_I guess this is something important, or else he wouldn't be hiding it from Grandpa... _I thought, but decided to stop thinking, and that I should probably start acting. And by acting, I mean finding about what's going on. And I know that I've probably said a million times now, but I still don't know!

* * *

I walked down toward the study, after convincing to Grandpa that nothing was going on. It had taken a while to do, considering that I was a horrible liar, but all in all, he bought it.

I closed the door behind me, and turned aruond to see Dad sitting down on one of the chairs in the room. Silently, I took a seat across from him, and he looked up from the book he was previously reading while waiting for me.

"So, I was actually wondering when you would come to talk to me about this." He said, and put the book aside, forgetting about it completely.

"Actually Dad, I'm not even sure what this is about exactly..." I said sheepishly, embarrassed that I rarely knew anything. But hey, that's why I'm here, to get answers. I need to find out what's been going on, since I think it would be nice to know.

"What this is about is your friend..." He started, folding his hands together, and I was pretty sure this was about to become another talk about Satoshi. And how I should stay away from him, and how the Niwas and the Hikaris were supposed to be sworn enemies... "Her name was Shizuku, right?" I heard him say, pulling me back to the conversation. "Shizuku Sakishima?" He asked with curious eyes.

"What about her?" I asked, but then a thought occurred to me. What if all of this, all the secrets, had just been about her all along? Well, I just knew one thing, there was never any harm done by Shizuku, and there never would be.

"Listen Daisuke, something has been wrong, your mom and gramps know it too, but they still don't know what the cause of it is..."

"What does this have to do with Shizuku? Answer me that first." I said, a little sternly I might add. After all, she was my friend, and I wouldn't want her pulled into all of this weirdness.

"It's a long story Daisuke, and it goes back..." Dad started, but it wasn't long until I started to lose my temper, something that barely happened.

"I have time, just tell me already. I mean, I don't have the slightest idea of what is going on, and I want to know."

"Of course you do," Dad said, still staying completely calm with me, "But I'm just not all that sure if you want to hear the story or not, it's pretty late you know. You sure you don't want to wait til morning?" And of course, I nodded.

"It all started a long time ago, when the Niwas and the Hikaris had never met. After all, you already know the story of the Black Wings, Daisuke." Dad said, I wasn't sure where this was going, but I still answered.

"It was when Dark and Krad were created," I said, "When a Hikari artist created a piece of artwork, but then, before he could transfer magic into the statue, a Niwa showed up and stopped the ceremony. In result, the magic that was originally was supposed to go into the Black Wings had no where to go, so then, Krad and Dark were created, living in the genes of the male members of the two families." I summarized, not really understanding what the Black Wings had to do with any of this.

"Correct," He said, but suddenly, the expression on his face turned into an extremely serious one, "But there was much more to it than that."

"Like what?" I asked, because from what I knew, there wasn't much more to the story.

"Well, you remember 'The Eternal Timepiece', right?" He asked, as if I could possibly forget. I mean, Dark had pretty much melted the memory into my mind forever, with all his complaining and everything. So in response, I nodded my head in agreement.

"Well, after doing some research, I realized why you mother was so impatient on sealing that particular piece of art."

"Is it just because it was a piece of cursed artwork?" I asked, because I knew for a fact that 'The Enteral Timepiece' wasn't a piece of artwork made by the Hikari family.

"True, but there is also a story surrounding it, and it may have to do with your little friend." Wait, if we were just talking about the 'Eternal Timepiece', then this does has to do with Shizuku after all.

**_"Yeah Daisuke, this has to do with Shizuku. I just wanted you to know the truth about her, and about her family." _**Dark said with a tone that I hadn't heard him use in a what seemed to be like forever. It was one that sounded tense, but still full of worry and sympathy.

"So you see Daisuke, 'The Eternal Timepiece' was an heirloom that was passed down for generations in the Sakishima family, although, I didn't really understand the importance of it all until I did some looking into it." He said, but was no longer smiling, and now was being totally serious, something that was never the bearer of good news.

"You see, Shizuku's family history goes back to the days of the Black Wings, and the Sakishimas were known for being a family friend of the Niwas, and offered their assistance to your ancestor whenever they could."

"So they were close friends?" I asked, and it started to remind me of Shizuku and I right now, but that was also depending where this story was going.

"Yes, and you see, the Sakishimas were always an obedient family to the Niwas. And when the day came that the Hikari had created the Black Wings, your ancestor knew that he couldn't steal it alone."

"So he asked the Sakishima to help him steal it?" I asked, guessing that was the next step in the story.

"Correct," He said, slightly nodding his head up and down. "But when the ceremony was interupted, some of the magic from the Black Wings also seeped into the Sakishima, not enough to give them an alter ego like the Hikari and the Niwa, but enough to give them magical powers."

I couldn't help but be confused, I mean come on! _Magical powers? Is that even possible? I thought that the magic was just seperated into the two beings of Dark and Krad, and were released into the Niwas and the Hikaris... _At least, that's what I thought, and had been told.

**_"That is true, Daisuke. But there was more to that story, things that you just didn't need to know at the time. After all, I thought that the Sakishima family was gone for some time now, heck, I even forgot that their name was Sakishima!" _**He said, followed by an all out laugh.

"And that's all there is to it!" I heard Dad say, a huge grin now back on his face. And I have to say, even having what he had told me, I was still dumbfounded about what was really taking place. I mean, that story was something of the past, right? What did it have to do with the present day?

"Uh... thanks for letting me know..." I said, not really meaning it, "I guess I'll go to bed now then." And with that, walked upstairs to my room, plopping down onto my bed with a sigh.

**_"So, you satisfied now?" _**I heard Dark asked while snickering, obviously being sarcastic.

_"Okay, I heard what my dad had to say, but now can you let me in on what you wanted to tell me about this? I mean, what was that story about? And why is it making everyone so paranoid?" _I asked, but I'm pretty sure that I may have asked him out loud.

**_"Okay Daisuke, well, my memory is a little blurred over the subject, since it's been so damn long, but I'll try to tell you what I remember_**." He said, but then went silent, as if thinking about the subject, and it seemed like forever until he spoke again, although it was probably only a few minutes.

**_"Well, from what I remember, after some of the magic was seeped into the Sakishima, they began to act differently, kinda like a combination of my personality and Krad's I guess..." _**

_"What do you mean by 'acting differently'?" _I asked, I mean, did they try to kill Dark like Krad always does? Because if they did, I guess this whole situation was becoming more dangerous than I could have thought.

**_"They didn't truely act like Krad, I can tell you that much." _**Dark said, and I felt relief wash over me from knowing that much. **_"But they did hold a grudge, and I believe that they blamed Krad and I for making them into a wielder of magic, which I can tell you Daisuke is not all that fun." _**

_"But technacly, you have magic, and we share the same body, so doesn't that kinda make me a wielder of magic too?" _I asked, _"Because it's not all that bad in my opinion..." _I mean, I sometimes felt some pain when Dark used too much magic, but it wasn't that extreme.

**_"It's not like anything you've ever felt Daisuke, because they're magical powers are their own, not shared or influenced from someone else." _**

_"What does that mean?" _I asked, because I couldn't really see what the extreme difference would be, ya know, besides the whole, 'being able to use at their own free will' thing. How bad could it really be?

**_"For me, it's not that bad, since I was a magical being to begin with..." _**_Or half of one... _I thought, **_"HEY! Still here!" _**Dark yelled inside my head, still talking in a teasing tone. Damn, I keep forgetting that he can hear my thoughts, I mean, I can't _help _thinking my thoughts!

**_"Anyway, in order for them to gain their magical powers, which really isn't optional, they have to go through the kind of pain that Satoshi goes through every time that Krad takes over. Minus the wings of course..."_**

_"What? That's horrible!" _I knew that Satoshi had to put up with that, but there were other people that had to go through that kind of pain without a choice? Sure, they wouldn't have to feel the wings erupting from their back, but it still seems pretty horrible.

**_"And from what i can remember, the Sakishima family had this obsession of trying to 'put an end' to me and Krad, saying that we didn't belong in this world, and other stuff I guess... But I still think my memory is a little scrambled..." _**

"What do you mean by 'put an end'? Are you trying to tell me that Shizuku is trying to kill me?" I yelled, and just realized that it was possible that everyone in the house had just heard that outburst... But if they did, no one reacted to it, and just left me to start freaking out.

**_"Well... I'm saying that it may be possible, but I'm not even completely sure that she has powers, they usually would have come around when I was brought back into this world. But I haven't sensed them, I would have been more cautious if I had..." _**Dark said, before he decided to fall asleep, which of course had been the worst time possible right now...

I was still so confused, I mean, did Shizuku know anything about this? Was her being nice and all just an act or something? And I still don't know what Dark meant by 'put an end to', which worried me.

"Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow..." I said, closing my eyes, and staring into darkness. But somehow, I doubt that I would be able to get much sleep.

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"W-What are you doing here?" I wasn't sure how to respond, since I didn't really know how I felt right now, or how I should have felt.

"I wanted to see you, of course..." Seiji said with a smirk, walking a little bit closer to me. "And you never answer my phone calls..." He said reminding me about the other day, how he had called my cell phone, and my house phone. I had heard the phone ring, but couldn't pick it up. I remember the message he had left saying that he was sorry...

Years of waiting, hoping that he would come back, to say it was all a misunderstanding, that he still loved me. I had been wanting that more than anything, wether I had known it or not, I was certain of it now. And yet, here it was, happening in front of my eyes, and yet, I didn't know how do react. There was one part of me that wanted to run right up and hug him, but there was also a part that was holding me back, telling me that I didn't need him.

"Listen, Himeko..." And I scowled at the name. Himeko had meant 'princess', something I had never been, and knew that I would never be. The reason I changed it, because I wanted a name that suited me, unlike being labeled as something I was not. I knew that people lived up to their name, and not the other way around, but I couldn't help it. For people to address me as such made me want to spit, and I guess that Seiji had started to pick up on that.

"Oh sorry, I mean _Shizuku_... I just wanted to talk, or at least for you to listen to what I have to say."

"And why should I?" I yelled angrily, as I felt tears starting to brim in my eyes, and blurring my vision. And for some reason I couldn't help it. I felt so hurt, to just be abandoned by him, the one person that I had always trusted the most, and now, here he was, just wanting to talk like nothing had happened. Just like typical Seiji, always trying to fix things up, wether he's able to or not. But hey, let's just see if he can _try _to fix this.

Still barely able to see clearly due to the tears that were now running down my face, I felt Seiji wrap his arms around me, and I found myself burying my face in his chest, still crying like I used to when I was very young.

"Because I really care, and I really missed you sis..."

He... missed me? I never knew that he felt like that, I mean, he had walked out of my life, and left me all alone. Actually, all these years, I may have just been running, running from reality. The reality that he may find me... but what if all this time, when I was running, he was searching?

"Trust me, everything will be better, and this time I **swear** to always be there for you when you need me."

"You still need to explain." I said, which was true. All these years, I had blamed myself for him leaving, but I never really knew for sure why he had really left. And I still wanted to know.

"I have a lot to explain, and I know that... but please just forgive me..." He said, pulling out of the hug, and kneeling down to my height, since he was now at least a foot taller than me.

_Should I? _I thought to myself... I mean, having Seiji be with me could change my life. I could actually have a family again, even if it was just him and me. The guy who always found a way to make everything seem better than it was, and could never act grim if he even tried.

But, it's not like I'm alone... and I didn't need a family, even if I wanted one, I still didn't _need _one. After all, no matter what you have, the human heart will always crave more due to emotions and hormones... and _WILL I STOP THAT!_

_But what should I do? _

**_

* * *

_**

**A/N: Cliffhanger! What is going to happen next? I'm not sure! But what do you think should happen? You can tell me in a REVIEW! Seriously, I want to get at least 4 reviews before I update next... So please click that really pretty blue button below! ^^ **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: OMG I AM SO SORRY! I just got stuck on this chapter for a really long time. But trust me, I was working super hard to make this chapter great, and a little funny! ^^ enjoy!**

**P.S. I took this out of my summary, so I have to say it, I DO NOT own D N Angel! Although I wish I did!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Untold Future**

**Seiji's POV:**

"Come on..." I said, since she was giving me that look that I had gotten to know so well, and was hard to forget. Shizuku was giving me that_ 'how can you be serious?' _look. One of the last looks that I would have wanted you to see right now.

"What would it take for you to forgive me, I'll do anything..." But after a few seconds a realized what I just said, "...I mean, as long as it's in reason!" I quickly added, since I was willing to bet that Shizuku would be able to be able to think of some pretty horrible things if she wanted to.

But as I said that, I noticed that a small smile had emerged on her face, and if I had remembered my sister correctly, that could only mean that she probably had a devilish thought in her mind. After all, she just loved to have some fun once in a while, despite her innocent look which would be able to fool any one, that is, except her brother.

"What are you..." I started to say, but was interrupted mid-sentence.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" I yelled, as I held my injured foot in my hands, now hopping up and down on the other. But of course, I just **had **to obtain a rotten sense of balance, causing me to fall over on the cold concrete sidewalk. I could have sworn when she stomped on it, I had heard a loud cracking sound. I forgot how hard my sis could pack a punch.

If you couldn't already tell, this really isn't my day.

I looked up, only to she that she was already walking away, not even bothering to say anything in response. You know what, I have done some rotten things to her in my life, but this was just plain rude!

I started to get up on my feet again, and realized that the pain was actually _worse _than I thought it would be. Slightly limping now, I struggled to catch up to her, and noticed that she didn't even turn her head the slightest towards me, and just kept on walking like normal. Like her brother who she hadn't seen in years wasn't even there.

But then again, maybe I'm just not that important to her, that could be a possible.

"So you're just going to ignore my heartfelt confession on how I missed you? And just ignore me?" I found the courage to say, I mean come on, it wasn't suppose to turn out like this. According to my plan, we would be hugging and making up, and we would be together, living as family. That's how it's suppose to be right? Happy endings?

"You really don't get it do you?" She asked, continuing to walk forward, not talking to me face to face, but I knew that it was very clear that she was implying to me.

After that, I decided that I had had enough of all this "mysterious" and "meaningful sayings that we all could learn a life lesson from" answers from her, I wanted it straight, and I was gonna get it. I grabbed her elbow, and spun her around, now holding her other arm so that she would have to face me.

"Get what? Just what the hell do you want? I yelled in her face, "We should be a family again, just the two of us, you know we should. And deep down inside, you want a family to call your own, no matter how many times you may try to deny it, you want one!" I yelled, and apon looking at her shocked expression, my grip on her loosened, and so did my attitude.

"And, I want one too... And... we're family, the only one we have left." I said, finally letting go of her.

"You're so naive" She practically spat at me. (not literally, but you get the point)

"What?" I said, me, naive? What in the world about what I just said naive in the slightest way?_As a matter of fact, I was very tepmted to yell back 'you're naive!' as a joke, but decided that it probably wasn't the best move._

"You just honestly thought that you could show up, and everything would just fall into place, didn't you?" She said, now folding her arms in annoyance.

"Uuuhhh..." Was the only sound that was able to escape my mouth. Because, I really couldn't think of anything, since that was exactly what I had been thinking.

"That's what I thought," She said, before giving a sigh, and and stared daggers into my eyes. (Again, not literally, but still, you get it) And I have to admit, she was really confusing me now, although I get confused all the time, it's still annoying.

"You have to pull your head out of those little fantasies that you dream of, and just face reality..." She said, and she said it in a tone like she was teaching a physics class or something.

"This isn't some fairytale story when they all live 'happily ever after', this is the real world. And if I were you, I would just start to accept reality, because that's life, and there's nothing you can do to change it."

This time, she ran, and I was too shocked to run after her. What she just said, was that how she felt? That reality is just layed out in front of us, and there's nothing we can do to change it?

"No, that's not true!" I yelled out into the street, not even knowing if she could hear me or not, but she still needed to hear this, and I needed to give myself a pep talk.

"People can be whatever they want to be! And you **do **have the power to change your future, if you just try!" I yelled, and at this point I started to run in the direction that she had headed, only to see her waiting, probably for me to catch up.

"That's what I'm trying to do!" She yelled back, her hands now clenched into fists. "And the future that I'm making certainly doesn't involve you!" Now on the brink of tears once more, she turned around, her back to me. "Just leave me alone... I mean it."

As she now an once more, I didn't even bother to chase her, finally realizing her point. She wanted to be alone, but now for the reason that she may think.

I understood the way she felt since a couple years ago, the day that I had left. She had always been alone, and that was _her _reality. That being by herself was all that she needed, and all that she ever knew. The one thing she always knew...

The feeling of loneliness.

"Don't worry Shizuku, I'll protect you..." I mumbled to myself, knowing that no one else could hear. "No matter how many times you push me away, I'll make sure that you're not lonely, not anymore."

And I knew for a fact that she would push me away, and she would refuse my help. But I don't care, it will only time some time to earn her trust, I think.

But then again, it was me who thought that she would forgive me tonight, and that didn't turn out so well.

You know what, you can't win if you're too afraid to lose! I won't give up!

* * *

**_The next day at school..._**

**Daisuke's POV:**

I walked into class that day like any other day, except something about today was different. Today, my mom followed in behind me.

Don't worry, it wasn't like I was in trouble or anything, at least, I hoped not. Since today was parent teacher conference day, and my mom had been so persistent on showing up.

You see, in Japan, parent teacher conference day works a little different than in other places, such as America or where ever. Yeah, it was still a half day, but instead of the parents coming later in the evening to talk to the teachers, the parents would stand in the back of the classroom and observe the class for the half day. And after that, the conferences would take place in alphabetical order by last name.**(1)**

Usually, there would mostly be a bunch of moms in the back of the room, and only a small amount of fathers.**  
**

"Oh Daisuke, I can't wait to meet all your little friends!" I heard my mom chirp behind me, causing me to sigh.

"Mom, please don't embarrass me!" I said, probably having a slight blush on my cheeks.

"Embarrass you?" She said, almost loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, and I could tell that she was angry. But hey, what's new? "Well I'm sorry that I wanted to see all of your friends... Especially that one called Shizuku..." She said, whispering that very last part in my ear, so it would only be audible to me.

Shizuku... I just remembered. She doesn't have any parents... I wonder what she's going to do? Even Satoshi had someone come in with him, probably some driver of his. But Shizuku wouldn't have anyone to come in at all, and that might make the teacher suspicious.

And as if on cue, Shiuzku had walked into the classroom, and I might have been wrong, but she had a certain annoyed look on her face. I guess you could describe it as a scowl. Since class hadn't offically started yet, I started to get up from my seat to ask her if anything was as I had started to stand up, something had stopped me halfway, something that had given me a shock.

Following closely behind Shizuku was a man, who I must say held a striking resemblance to her. He had short, dark brown hair, which he was flattening out as he entered, and dark blue eyes. And as they walked in, he had actually put a hand on her shoulder, and whispered something that I was unable to hear, but Shizuku nodded in response to whatever he had said, and when she looked up at him, she _smiled._

It wasn't like she never smiled or anything, but, if I could make an educated guess, it would look as if this man was Shizuku's father... _But that's impossible, isn't it? Wait, maybe I got it wrong! _I thought, and before I knew it, Mom was by my side, gesturing that we should walk up to the two of them. Well, I guess that this was the only way to find out.

"Hello there! My name is Emiko, and I'm Daisuke's mom!" She said cheerfully, and both of them lightly bowed in response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Niwa..." Shizuku said while smiling.

"Oh no need for 'Ms. Niwa' dear! Just 'Emiko' will do." She said, and I noticed how she always wanted everyone to call her by her first name, maybe she's starting to feel old...

"Nice to meet you, Miss Emiko..." The man started to say, "I'm Shizuku's father, but you can just call me..." He seemed hesitant, and it may have just been me, but for a brief second, I could of sworn that the two of them exchanged a glance.

"You can just call me Seiji!" He finally said, with a small laugh, although I didn't really understand what had seemed so funny to him. Wait, **SHIZUKU'S FATHER? **Reality hit me like a brick, and I felt just like some dumb kid who just kept standing there and staring, but fortunatly, the teacher had started to speak.

_"Hey, Dark, are you there?" _I called inside my mind, assuming that this would be more important than whatever Sensei was saying at the moment.

**_"What do you want?" _**He replied back, sounding tired and annoyed. **_"You should know by now that I always sleep through school..." _**

Point proven, wait, back to the main topic here!

_"Didn't you say that Shizuku didn't have any family?" _I asked nervously, but Dark didn't seem to pick up on my tone.

_**"Yeah, she told me herself. The girl lives alone Daisuke, and... wait, YOU WOKE ME UP JUST TO ASK A STUPID QUESTION?" **_Dark yelled, sounding very annoyed, but I didn't really care at the moment, since all I was thinking about was how it was all possible.

_"Actually, that man over there is claiming to be Shizuku's father, Dark. So that's why I asked..." _I said calmly, but he didn't seem so calm. I could tell that Dark had started to yell how that wasn't possible and everything, but I was too distracted by cheers that had erupted from my classmates.

I was kinda confused by what everyone was cheering about, and I had a feeling that it had something to do with what teacher had said when I was talking to Dark. Guess I should have been listening.

"Hey Daisuke!" I heard my name being called, I turned around and noticed that the voice had been Riku's.

"Hi Riku!" I said in response, and I noticed that the other kids were leaving the classroom, but wait, didn't we have class today?

"Can you belive that the kids get to go home and only the parents have to say this year?" She asked me, and for a moment, I was confused.

Oh wait, I guess that's what the teacher had just said.

"Uh, no I can't!" I said quickly, acting like I had known all along, but probably failing at doing so.

"I was just about to ask if Shizuku wanted to hang out, but she said that she wanted to wait until her dad was finished with the conference. So, you wanna do something?" She asked me, and for a second, I was wondering if I should be upset, since it seemed that I was now her second choice to hang out. But then, I just remembered that Riku was still attempting to become friends with her.

Just as soon as I was about to agree to her offer, that little voice in the back of my mind started talking to me, and of course I mean that literally.

**_"Daisuke, tell her that you have plans with your mom..." _**Dark suddenly said out of nowhere, but I decided not to question it.

"Uh... sorry Riku, I would really love to, but I have plans with my mom after she's done with the conference." I lied, wondering what Dark was planning.

"Oh, that's okay!" She said, I could tell that she was a little disappointed, but she barely showed it. Man, I hated disappointing Riku, and for what reason did I just let her down? I didn't know.

_"So what was the point of that lie?" _I asked him, and over time, I had found that it was best not to question Dark on his actions, but this was one of those times when I just dared to ask what he had in mind.

**_"Well, you're confused about the whole 'Shizuku father thing', and so am I. So, let me just find out the truth, once and for all!" _**He said, and I really didn't understand what he meant.

And just like the rest of my class, we piled up into the hall, along with most of the parents, waiting their turn to talk with Sensei. But all the other students were soon heading home, or probably to hang out. But I soon stopped after I saw Shizuku waiting in the hall with her uh 'father'. Since I wasn't sure if he actually was or not.

I walked over to the two of them, and it sounded like they were arguing about something, but they stopped when they saw me coming.

"Oh hi Daisuke!" Shizuku said, and it was easy to tell that she seemed a little nervous, although her 'father' was pretty cheery, with a huge, genuine smile on his face.

"So you're one of Shizuku's friends?" He asked me, and in response, I nodded. "Well, that's good that she's making friends!" He said, followed by a small laugh.

Although, Shizuku didn't really seem comfortable by the conversation, and was now glaring at him.

"So how come I've never seen you before Mr. Sakishima?" I asked, but quickly realized that the question I just asked would have probably bothered her, and maybe him. But neither of them seemed uncomfortable by the question.

"First of all, Daisuke, I would just like you to call me Seiji, Mr. Sakishima is _way _too formal for me!" He said, now kinda reminding me of my mom, but it he also answered my question as well

"Actually, I'm away on business trips almost all of the time, so I have to leave Shizuku by herself, unfortunately." He said, and I could have been wrong, but for a split second, I could have sworn that his all cheery face had softened just a little.

"Mr. Sakishima, you can come in now." I heard the teacher say, and with that, he stepped into the classroom.

"That sure is strange..." I heard Shizuku say, staring at the closed door to the classroom.

"What's strange?" I asked her, _ya know, besides her having a father even though she admitted that he was dead!_

"My last name begins with an 's', and as far as I'm concerned, that letter is pretty far back in the alphabet." And as soon as she said that, I realized that it was kinda strange, if it was in alphabetical order, Shizuku would have been near the end, not the beginning.

"Maybe they're just doing things differently this year!" I said, since I couldn't really think of any other option. "After all, this is the first time we never had classes on parent teacher day!"

"Really?" She asked, and she looked a little confused, "Oh, so that's why everyone was cheering..." Shizuku said, looking as if she finally solved a 500 piece puzzle.**(2) **But then again, it wasn't really her fault if she didn't know that.

**_"What are you waiting for?" _**Dark yelled making me slightly jump, but thankfully, Shizuku didn't see.

_"What do you mean 'what am I waiting for'?" _

**_"Ask her about this whole mess! Ask why she lied to us! I don't care, as long as you don't just stand there like an idiot!" _**Note to self, get some aspirin on the way home to treat my new headache.

"Something wrong?" She asked, looking a little concerned for me, but I knew that no concern was actually needed.

"Uh, not with me, but Shizuku, I need to ask you something... and you need to be honest okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be honest Daisuke?" And I hear Dark make a type of groaning sound, showing that he was a little annoyed.

"Shizuku, why did you say that your father's dead if he really isn't?

* * *

**Seiji's POV:**

I walked into the classroom, but only to find that Daisuke's mother, _what was her name, Emiko?, _was in the room as well. And now that I thought about it, wouldn't I be one of the last ones to go? After all, 'Sakishima' would be pretty far down in the alphabet.

"Mr. Sakishima, Ms. Niwa, I thought it would be best to have your conferences at the same time." The teacher said, and I fixed my brown wig just a little bit to make sure none of my real blonde hair was showing. Yeah, I was posing as my sister's father, what are ya gonna do? Sue me? I thought not. But I have to say, it was a bit of trouble talking Shizuku into letting me do this.

_~Flashback~_

_I watched as Shizuku came out of her house this morning, obviously looking rushed, after all, school for her would be starting pretty soon._

_I quickly caught up to her, although she didn't look to happy to see me._

_"Hey, how's life this morning?" I asked her, and in return, she gave me a cold glare._

_"Didn't you understand anything that I said last night?" She asked me sarcastically, and as a matter of fact, I did._

_"Of course I did!" Looking down at her, and man, I noticed how much we kinda looked alike. Despite the fact that her eyes were a crystal blue, and mine were a chocolate brown, her hair had turn a light burnette, and mine was still a dirty blond, we looked a lot alike._

_"Then why are you still bothering me?" She said while scoffing, and I only laughed at the response._

_"I guess you could call it sibling love, but don't you have a parent teacher conference today?" I said, quickly changing the subject._

_"Yeah, but what does that... hey, how would you be able to know that?" She yelled angrily, oops, guess I didn't really think this trough._

_"I, uh, have my sources, but anyway, don't you need someone to come in as a guardian?"_

_"Where are you going with this Seiji?" Man, why did she have to be so clever? Might as well tell her now..._

_..._

_"NO WAY! There is no chance that **you **are going to pretend to be my dad!" She yelled at me, and by this time, we were halfway to her school, and it was about half an hour until school started for her. (Don't ask me how I know all of this.)_

_"Oh come on! It's not like you had anyone else to do it! And what harm could come from me doing it?" I asked her, and actually, that was a bad question. Since I bet that she could think of 20 good reasons why I couldn't right of the top of her head._

_"But what would you tell your teacher when you don't show up with anyone?" I said, knowing Shizuku, she had probably thought of something, either that, or she would have just faked sick for that day._

_"Simple, my 'dad' is on a business trip that came up at last second and couldn't make it, and if they ask to make another appointment, I'll say they can, but as time goes on, my 'dad' will just become more busy, and even go to meetings out of town." And I have to admit, it was a pretty good plan overall, but it had one single flaw. She didn't expect **me **to get involved._

_"But what if such a person, such as myself as an example, would walk into your classroom, claiming that they were your 'father', and that you just didn't tell your 'father' when the conference was." And she was about to protest, but I had already thought of a comeback. "And of course people would believe such a person to be your 'father', since they have a similar appearance to... What would you do then?"_

_"You wouldn't dare!" She yelled at me, no longer walking forward like she had been since she had sensed my presence, but looked at me straight in the eyes._

_"Try me..." I said mockingly, pulling out a short brown wig and a pair of blue color eye contacts that I had uh, conveniently, brought with me._

_"I hate you..." She mumbled, but I absolutely knew what she really meant by that, even though she would never admit it._

_"Hehe, love ya too, sis!"_

_~End Flashback~_

"You see Mr. Sakishima, Shizuku is an excellent student, although she sometimes tends to drift off during my classes..." The teacher said, and I tried my hardest to hold back a chuckle, since I knew that would have been impolite. But hey, I guess my sis and I are one and the same when it comes to attention spans!

"But also, it seems that she also has a small problem in making friends, and I have also noticed that as of now, Daisuke has been her closest friend, I'm not trying to be nosey or anything, but has she ever mentioned any... problems she's had in school?"

Man, I wasn't sure if Shizuku would be really comfortable about her teacher talking about her like this, especially in front of one of her friend's mother.

"No, she never mentions anything of the sort..." Which, technically was true, since we really hadn't talked about well, anything.

"Um, excuse me, not to insult you Sensei, but why did you ask to have our conferences at the same time?" Emiko had asked, and I have to admit, I was pretty curious to the reason as well.

"Truthfully, I thought that the two of them were such good friends, it wouldn't really matter if the other parent heard what I had to say about either Shizuku and Daisuke, and this way, the meetings go by far quicker, since in previous years, it always took so long because of a couple of complaining parents! But both of your children are doing just fine, and I hope that they enjoy their day off!"

And I could have sworn, that probably only took 5 minutes, and both of us were out of there. And it had only had taken about 5 minutes for Shizuku to wander off somewhere... _Of course..._

Well, if she was still in the school, where would she be? I thought for a second, but the answer soon hit me like how to add 2+2...

_The art room! Of course! The girl owned the family museum for crying out loud! _But just where the art room be?

I guess I would just have to wander around until I found it, man, aren't my plans flawless? Yeah, I know they are!

Let's see, I think I'm gonna go down this hallway...

Make a right over here, nope, that's another classroom... Don't worry, I'll find it in no time!

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Now do you understand? I only lied when I said that... guy, was my father." I told Daisuke, we were both in the art room, since no one would really be in the school, I thought it would make a good place to talk.

"Oh, yeah, I was just really, confused when he said that he was your father, but it kinda makes sense now!" He said, I hadn't told him that Seiji was my brother, but just a close family friend, after all, he didn't need to know everything...

"By the way, Shizuku, can I ask you a random question?" He asked me, and I sat down on top of one of the empty desks in the room, nodding my head.

"Do you believe in magic?" He asked... Why the hell would he ask a question like that?

"Let's see, Dark, the great phantom thief who flies on wings lives inside of you... It's either that I believe in magic, or I'm mentally ill..." I said sarcastically. I mean, what was up with the world all of a sudden? I move to a new town, and suddenly, my brother comes back, I have friends, and... ya know, _other _things...

"I mean, did you believe in magic before you ever met me?" What the hell was with all the questions? They were just starting to get on my nerves, although I didn't really know why.

"Since when did you start asking a bunch of random questions, Daisuke? And yes, I may, have... wondered about the possibilities of the existence of magic..."

"But why would you..."

"SHIZUKU!" We both jumped, as Seiji came into the art room, oh man, was life ever going to be normal?

"What do you want?" I asked him, as I saw him slightly fix his wig, man he was obsessed with always having perfect hair, wether it was real or not.

"You just wondered away, did you forget that I planned a day together to get outside?" Actually, I did, he might have mentioned it this morning, but I probably wasn't listening, whoops.

"Uhhh..." Was all that I was able to say, as he practically started dragging me out of the room, muttering how 'great this day would be'.

"B-Bye Daisuke! I'll, uh see you tomorrow!" I said, as we started walking through the halls of the school, Seiji wearing one of his enormous smiles.

"You ready to have a day with your brother?" He asked as we started walking away from the school, now removing his wig, followed by the colored contacts... I found that disguise so ridiculous, but he didn't seem to think it was.

"Sure, whatever, but this is just a one time thing!" I told him, and he laughed while nodding, but I highly doubt that this would be the end of him bugging me.

"One time thing, got it, anything else you wanna yell at my face before I start to change my mind about spending time with you?"

"Just one thing, but I'm not going to yell it..." I said, and he took my book bag from my hand.

"Sure thing, what is it Suki**(3)**?" He said in his usual carefree tone.

"Thanks..." I said, and I could tell Seiji wasn't expecting that, because he suddenly stopped walking, and he had a confused look on his face.

"What did you say?" He asked, now leaning down to my eye level, but I refused to look him in the eyes.

"I, said, thank you..." Now looking up at the sky, so I wouldn't have to look at him, but I would tell that he had a playful look on his face.

"Oh _REALLY_... can you say that again, while actually _looking _at me?" And by this point, I knew he was just doing this to annoy me, but I still played along.

So I looked him right in the eyes, crossed my arms, and made sure it would be loud enough for him to hear. "**_THANK... YOU..._**" I said with extra emphasis...

"Yeah, I thought that's what you'd say! I knew you still loved me!"

Sure, keep dreaming bro...

* * *

**A/N: Yay! it's done! I was inspired to write this b/c I have a big bro, and we have a... "love and hate" relationship, if you could call it that.**

**(1) I'm not sure if this is true or not, I'm just guessing.**

**(2) I just love puzzles! ^^ and I love the satisfaction of finishing one!**

**(3) Hehe, he already have a nickname for her! Remember, Seiji is used to Shizuku as "Himeko"**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

**Good, now I wanted to say that the next chapter will NOT be chapter 11! It will be a bonus chapter, like a fluffy one-shot between Shizuku and Satoshi! Man, I can't wait til winter break!**


	11. BONUS CHAPTER!

**A/N : First of all, THIS CHAPTER does not follow the story line of 'Of Love and Pain', it's just an idea I thought of, but it didn't really fit into the rest of the story, so it's a bonus chapter that again, ISN'T related to the rest of the story, please enjoy.**

**Think of this as a SatoshixShizuku one-shot fluffy thing... WARNING! May contain some OOCness just for the sake of fluff. Sorry I released this a little late, but still, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Ya know, if you celebrate Christmas, b/c I wouldn't know! :3**

* * *

**Satoshi's POV:**

It was a late Friday afternoon, and Shizuku and I both were assigned for cleaning duty in the art room. It was a strange coincidence, but I didn't really mind.

I started wiping the black broad, I noticed how quiet it actually was, which made it seem a little uncomfortable. I looked over my shoulder at Shizuku, who was just staring out of a window.

I felt myself smirk at the sight, for some reason, she did that a lot. If it wasn't a window, she would be always looking at, well, _something. _Wether it was a tree, a squirrel, even some kind of furniture. She was always spacing out while she just, _observed_.

I silently walked over to her, being careful not to make any noise, and apparently, I was succeeding, since she didn't seem to notice. She was still staring out into space as I wrapped one of my arms gently around her waist, placing the other on her shoulder.

She slightly jumped in surprise, and I felt her tense up. She slightly turned her head to face me, and I heard her release a sigh of relief.

"Satoshi, you scared me..." She said, and sounded as if she was out of breath.

"You were doing it again..." I whispered into her ear, and based on the slightly confused look on her face, I could guess that she didn't understand what I was getting at.

"Doing what?" She asked, "Breathing? What, is that some sort of crime now?" And as you could see, she was quick to add in some sarcasm.

"No, besides if that _was _some sort of crime, then everyone would either be in jail, or dead." I said, returning her sarcasm. "I meant, you were staring off into space again, I mean, why do you always do that?" I asked her, and I realized that it was a pretty stupid question to ask her, but I didn't really care, asking dumb questions beat the silence.

"I do not '_stare off into space_' all the time!" She protested, causing me to laugh in response. It was a little cute how defensive she could get sometimes.

"Oh... yes you do!" I whispered playfully into her ear, and I felt her shiver ever the slightest, as if recoiling from me as I breathed on her neck. I knew it wasn't really like me to be doing things like this, but I didn't really think it mattered. I guess it's just one of those 'in the moment' things.

All of a sudden, it seemed as if she had snapped out of some kind of trance, and quickly pulled away from me before I could do anything about it. She turned around to face me, an eyebrow raised and a slightly amused look on her face.

"It's called _observing your surroundings, _and I may admit that I may do that from time to time, but I have my reasons..." And with that, she grabbed two nearby brooms that were leaning against the wall, and shoved one in my direction. "Come on, we're here to clean, not make small talk." Shizuku said matter-of-factly, before she turned her back to me, and started sweeping the floor. Taking it as a hint, I did just as she, and faced my back to hers, but that didn't discourage me from speaking to her.

"There's no reason we can't do both..." I said, sweeping one particular spot over and over, although it didn't seem to get much cleaner than it was to start with. But it gave me a reason to look at the ground.

"Then, what would you want to talk about? The history assignment?" I felt myself sigh, of all things to talk about, she wanted to talk about something academically based? Honestly, I would talk about just anything else with her, I would probably show more interest in a topic about rocks. But after all, I needed something to talk about, but wait, that's it! I know just what to talk about!

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Why do you, well, _observe _everything around you?" I heard Satoshi ask. I felt my eyes raise from the small pile of dust my broom had collected to the wall, as I turned my head toward the sound of his voice, only to see his back facing me. The question struck me as odd, since no one had ever asked me anything like that.

"W-Why would you want to know?"

"What? I can't ask questions about you? Like, what's your favorite color?" Okay, this just got from a little random to a little bit awkward. Why would he want to know all these random facts about me? They weren't that difficult to answer, but still...

"Either a dark or light blue, and I absolutely hate light pink..." I said blandly. There wasn't any reason why I couldn't answer him truthfully, although I don't see a point to all this.

"Oh, like my hair and eyes?" He teased, now looking over his shoulder to look at me, and I noticed the small smirk on his face. I felt a small warmth rise up to my cheeks, probably one of the causes of his smirk.

"W-well, I don't know!" I said, now looking away, pretending to have become very preoccupied with my sweeping. "It's just always been my favorite color okay?"

"But you still didn't answer my other question... Why are you always observing?" Darn it, I thought he had forgotten about that question, I guess not. But I didn't want to tell him about that, because trust me, I actually do have a very good reason to observe my surroundings, but it really wasn't any of his business. Better change the subject.

* * *

**Satoshi's POV:**

I couldn't believe this. She was just going on and on about how this one painting in the art room looked. How it "used contrast and tricks of shadows and, how the colors all blended together", and of course I agreed with her on all of what she was saying, but I still knew what she was trying to accomplish. She was just trying to change the subject so she could avoid my previous question.

True, it had just been a random question that I asked just to get a conversation started, but now that she didn't want to answer it, I was even more curious.

I could have just let it go and talk about art with her, since I did enjoy the topic, and apparently, she just _loved _to talk about the subject. But that way, Shizuku would have won this little argument by making me drop the subject, and I wasn't about to let that happen.

"So, you like observing art as well?" I said, now once again receiving a confused look from her. "Or is it just that this particular artwork is part of your surroundings?" I quickly added, and based on how Shizuku's expression quickly changed, I could tell that she had started to catch on with what I was getting at.

"Oh ha ha, blue boy's got jokes now does he?" Her confused look now turning into one that looked quite annoyed.

"I thought that blue was your favorite color, and the last time I checked, my hair wasn't pink." And after saying that remark, I earned a laugh from her, something that I always loved to hear, although I could tell that she was trying to contain it, since she was covering her mouth with her right hand.

"I, would **love **to see that!" Shizuku said in between giggles.

"How about you answer my question first? Then _maybe_, I'll temporarily dye my hair pink." I said, and really, I was lying, but still, it was fun to see if she would believe me or not.

"Oh, that would be a sight, but I highly doubt that you would do something like that..." Damn, she's smart, well, now that you think about it, there would never be _any _chance that I would dye my hair, (even temporarily) especially not pink. Let's see how far I can go with this until she answers me, because right now, I wasn't really getting anywhere.

"You'll never know until you answer me!" I said, now teasing her even more while standing right behind her, and placing my hands firmly on her shoulders, so this time, she wouldn't slip away from me.

"Well, fine, I guess that would be okay..." Yes! Victory! (Why am I acting like this?)

"Satoshi? Have you ever heard of the anthropic principle?" (A/N: Yes, this is a real thing, you can google it if you want.) Anthropic principle? I don't think that I've read about that since college... and that was a long time ago, so I can't really remember, what was it again?

"Um, maybe you could refresh my memory..." I admitted quite sheepishly, although, Shizuku didn't seem to mind the fact that I didn't know.

"Well, basically, the anthropic principle is a theory that suggests that the universe is the way it is right now simply because human beings are able to observe it and determine that it is the way it is."

Okay, did anyone else understand a word that she just said? Or the key concept of what she just said? Because any of that information would be very helpful to me right now. I'm pretty sure that she said that humans make the world the way it is today, or something like that, but it was still hard to follow.

"I'll be honest, I'm not completely following what you're suggesting..." And it was true, if I didn't understand what she was saying, how would I be able to understand the answer to my question? One which I worked so hard on to get her to admit. Okay, not that hard on, but you get the point.

"Well, let's say for example, I observe, so therefore, the universe _is._"

"So, if I look at a tree, it _is _a tree?" I asked confused, because the last time I checked, whether someone observed what it is or not, a tree is still a tree.

"Exactly! You see, since humans were able to discover the rules of physics and constance, we can observe the fact that the universe even exists at all. And of course when that happens, the universe becomes apparent." Oh, wow, she can really talk about this principle, can't she? But it seems that everything she's saying makes perfect sense to her. Unless, she doesn't know what she's talking about, and Shizuku was just trying to confuse me again. Except, it seemed that this time, she wasn't doing it on purpose.

"But still, even if humans never existed, wouldn't the universe still exist?" I asked her in a confused voice, while I started to twirl a small lock of her hair, my other hand still on her shoulder. Shizuku didn't even seem to notice though, and just concentrated on answering all of these stupid questions I was asking her.

"That's still true, but then, it wouldn't really matter if the universe existed or not, because there wouldn't be any observations, and no one would be able to acknowledge its existence."

Huh, I guess that's true, what's the point of something existing if no one will be able to know that it does exist? It's like a piece of beautiful artwork, (one that's not dangerous of course) what's the point of it being created if no one will be able to see it and feel the emotions that's suppose to emanate from it?

"But then, why are **you** observing all the time? Since there are plenty of other people like scientists who can do just that, it doesn't mean that you have to as well." She should do more in her free time than doing something that really doesn't do her any justice.

"Well, I don't really have any other purpose, so I think it's best to help and acknowledge the presence that is the universe..."

Was that her perspective on her life? That she didn't have a purpose?

"Come on," Shizuku said before pulling away from me once again, "You had your small talk, now lets get back to cleaning the room." And as she started walking, I spotted a mop that was left carelessly laid on the floor, and if she stepped on that, I knew she would trip.

"Shizuku..." I started to speak, and she turned around to face me, but was still walking in the same direction toward the mop on the ground, except now she was walking backwards.

"What?" She asked, as she was about to step on the mop, as I took a step towards her.

"Wait, watch where you're going..." I said, as she just stepped on the mop, and started to fall backwards towards the ground.

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Wait, watch where you're going..." I heard Satoshi say, but what was he talking about. Was there something behind me? I was about to turn around, but I felt my foot step onto something rounded, as my right foot slipped off of the ground, and I felt myself start to fall.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact of the ground, but instead, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist. When I opened my eyes, I found myself looking at Satoshi's face, and it was really close to mine. And I found myself blushing furiously, my face now probably turning a bright pink. Like I said, my least favorite color.

"Your cheeks are all pink..." He teased me, and thank you captain obvious! I turned my head away in embarrassment, and I felt him place his other hand on my shoulder. I knew how awkward this situation was, and truthfully, I felt a little uncomfortable. I need to say _something_, or else I don't know what could happen. Would we just stay in this position? Would he just pull me up and act as if nothing had happened?

"Well, I answered your question before... you gonna dye your hair pink now?" I asked, and now, it was my turn to smirk, and his turn to be embarrassed. Although, he just let out a small laugh in response. He shook his head, just the kind of answer I was expecting from him. But oh well, wait, so I answered his question for nothing?

"How about something better?" He asked me, and I turned my eyes back to him, only to have him remove my glasses from my face. What was he doing?

"What do you mean by 'better'?" I dared to ask, although, my question came out as a soft whisper, and I highly doubt he even heard me. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw him drop my glasses to the ground, forgetting about them completely, and placing his hand back on my shoulder, his grip tightening a little more than before.

My eyes widened as he raised me up and brought my lips to his, pulling me into a kiss. I felt shock take over, making me frozen stiff on the spot. But it was only a short moment later that I felt the feeling of bliss wash over me, as my eyes drifted to a close, and I pulled myself closer to him, deepening the kiss as much as I could.

* * *

**Satoshi's POV:**

I felt her arms wrap themselves around my neck, bringing her closer to me, as I tried to deepen the kiss as much as possible. This moment, was just, what was that word? Extravagant? No, that didn't suit this situation at all, it was... perfect. _She _was perfect, and I wished that we could stay like this forever.

But, since we couldn't, I started to lick the bottom part of her lip, asking for entrance. And to my surprise, she shyly parted her lips, allowing me in, and I began my journey exploring her mouth, now and then flicking my tongue against hers.

As this went on, I realized that I didn't feel tense at all, in fact, I was the most relaxed that I have ever felt in my life. Shizuku was something special, and it wasn't hard to tell. And during this kiss, my first kiss, I was trying to remember everything about it. But there was one thing I knew I would never be able to remember, because I knew that I would never be able to describe it. It was how Shizuku _tasted, _because, there really wasn't any distinguished taste to her. It wasn't like she had strawberries in her breath, or chocolate for that matter, like you would like mostly imagine when you kissed a girl. It seemed like a clean taste, but not anything like a minty flavor. I guess there was only one way to describe it.

It just tasted like her.

Unfortunately, we eventually had to separate for air, both of us slightly panting. I spun Shizuku upright so that she was once again on her feet, although, I was still holding her against me. Especially because it seemed that she was weak in the knees and couldn't stand up straight.

I could feel her breathing deeply, so I brought her closer, hiding a smirk in her hair.

It was funny how things worked out, how all of this came to be just from one little question. Although, that was a pretty decent answer she gave me, and it was an interesting theory she believed, and honestly, I was starting to believe in it too. But only for one reason.

"Hey, Shizuku..." I said, and I felt her slightly raise her head against my chest.

"Hm? What is it?" She whispered, and I felt myself slightly chuckle, and I pulled away from her, but only far enough so that I could look her in the eyes.

"If I observe you as being perfect, doesn't that make you perfect?" And I saw her smile, the one that always gave me warmth, and made one erupt on my own face.

"Well, that's the anthropic principle..." She said, before placing a hand behind my head, and pulling me into another kiss.

Thank **_you_** science...

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? I would have made this a separate fanfic, except it included Shizuku, so I thought it would be okay to add this as just a short, separate story. Merry Christmas! (Oh, and happy New Year) :3**


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, quick note, and please **READ THIS! **A quick word about Seiji, his personality is kinda a really over-dramatic, easy-going and arrogant guy who tons of people easily fall in love with. That's all I wanted to say, onto the disclaimer!

**Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned DN Angel, the manga would have been completed by now, and not dragging on for over 10 years...**

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Chapter I Don't know what to Name**

**Satoshi's POV:**

_There must be some other way that I can be able to break this stupid curse! _I thought to myself, as I knocked some of the books I was reading off of my desk.

I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands in frustration, and in the process, slid my glasses from my face to above my forehead. And I felt myself groan, I guess this was going to be harder than I had originally thought.

None of this research was working, and I wasn't getting any closer to finding anything that would be able to help me... I sorta felt like I was just wasting my time with all of this. But, if there was going to be a chance that I would be able to find some sort of alternate way, or by some sort of magical formation I could create, I might be able to be rid of Krad. And I didn't care how much time I could waste, if I eventually found an answer.

**_"In such a rush to be done with me, are you Master Satoshi?" _**

"Shut up!" I yelled out loud, thank god I was in my own apartment, or I would have probably lost it in front of tons of people. And that could never look good.

**_"Why should I? Besides, if you chose to be so rude to me, what could stop me from treating you the same?" _**He teased, and god why did he have to act like that every time that he talked to me? It was just god damn annoying, and it wasn't getting any more pleasant with the passing years...

**_"Besides, why are you doing all of this all of a sudden? It's not like you have been taking measures like this for the past few years... why now?" _**

Why now? That was actually a good question, one of the best ones he has ever asked me before, mostly because I actually had to think about the answer. What caused me to suddenly rip through page after page of numerous ancient books, just to be rid of something that I have already dealt with for years? True, I had always wanted to be free of Krad, but I have never taken such drastic measures before. All I used to do was just hope, that one day, the answer would just come to me, or by some miracle I would just awake, and the Hikari curse would have vanished, as if it never happened.

But no, that was all just wishful thinking, and this was reality. Research was the only alternative now, no matter how much I despised it.

Perhaps I was doing this all of a sudden just because I had finally realized the truth, that I had to work hard to achieve this impossible goal. But still, what was the cause that made me open my eyes to this? I couldn't it figure it out.

**_"Would it have anything to do with that hollow promise that you made with that girl the other day?" _**

"I said shut up!" I yelled at him without a moment to hesitate. And being surprisingly obedient, he left my mind. But now, I had time to ponder on what he had just suggested. My hollow promise? What on earth did he mean by that?

Uh, this was going to be a long night...

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

I flopped down onto my plain, but still comforting bed, feeling the essence of relief rush through me the second my head hit the pillow.

Letting out a loud sigh, I removed my eyeglasses from my face, and placed them right side up on my bed stand. I knew that I would fall asleep soon, and I wouldn't want to be wearing my glasses when I slept. Trust me, it's not pleasant to wake up in the morning, only to be greeted by the feeling of something poking your head, or worse, you accidentally break them in your slumber. Been there, done that.

And trust me, I may have a habit of being unable to fall asleep, but tonight I was pretty tired. And why was I so damn tired? You can ask Seiji, he's the one that dragged me out to some completely random, and I quote, "day of fun".

If by any reason this sound lame to you, well, I'll just say for now that you've gotta brain somewhere up in your head. Because this was one of the most exhausting, yet utterly boring days that I've had in my life.

Wait, did I even change out of my school uniform yet? I didn't have much more time to think about it, because I was soon under the sweet sensation of unconsciousness.

...

_"Hey, Suki! Come on, you're being too slow!" Seiji teased, and jogged away at a quicker pace than usual. I found myself laughing at his obvious smirk, and slightly struggled to keep up with him, but I seemed to be enjoying myself so much, that I just ignored the small knot that emerged in my stomache, and pushed myself to go even farther. _

_Damn, why did he have to be so fast? It seemed like every time I picked up my pace, he would double it and go even farther away. But I was still laughing, and for some bizarre reason, was actually enjoying this half version game of tag. Although, what seemed like several blocks later, I just couldn't run anymore. Seeing this,he slowed down, and stopped walking._

_I found myself panting with a smile, although it kinda hurt to do so, I was still laughing hysterically. But suddenly, the world around me started to slowly dissolve, turning into a black abyss. _

_"What's going on?" I found myself asking, but turning around, and looking in various directions, I realized that Seiji wasn't there anymore. _

_"Hey, Shizuku..." I heard his voice echo through the nothingness. I still desperately looked around, hoping to see something other than the depressing black. Although I saw no light, I kept hearing him say my name over and over. And I was a little crossed between the emotions of being either scared, or just really annoyed, because it just sounded like a person was just calling your name over, and over, until you finally talked to them._

_"I know it's pretty late..." I heard him say in the same tone. Late? Why, what time was it in this dream? "But I was wondering, by any chance..." He kept saying, and now I was totally creeped out... "If you were..."_

"AWAKE!" I heard him yell, followed by a rough shove on my shoulder, as I woke up in my bed. And to what did I wake up yelling to?

Seiji standing over me, now with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"Oh my gosh Suki, were you having a nightmare?" He said sympathetically, as I slowly sat up on my bed, while rubbing my eyes in an attempt to fully wake up. And of course, he just _had _to sit down on the bed next to me, and started stroking my head, like I was some kinda dog.

"Yeah, I was having a bad dream..." I croaked out, although my voice hurt, like it always does when you just wake up. As I slowly laid my head on his chest.

"Really? What happened?" Okay, I was really pissed right now, he just woke me up, and he has the _nerve _to keep talking to me like this?

"Well, I was sleeping in bed..." I started to tell him, and he nodded his head in understanding, "And then, some psycho snuck into my house... and WOKE ME UP!" I yelled, right before pushing off the bed. And if he had half of a brain cell, I think he got the message.

"Sounds pretty bad..." He still teased, and I sudden thought just occurred to me.

"How did you even get in here?" I yelled at him, and now, I finally felt awake. "All the doors were locked, and I never gave you a key!"

"You're doors might have been locked, but not all your windows were..." He said sheepishly as he stood up from the floor, that's when I looked at my bedroom window. And what do you know, it actually was open, but this is the second floor of the house, how did he? You know what, I'm still exhausted... what time was it again?

"What do you want?" I asked him in an obviously annoyed voice, and if he was smart enough, he would start to get the hint that I wanted him to just leave me alone...

"Just wanted to talk, we haven't seen each other in a while!" Talk, wh-what? Does anyone understand his logic here?

"What time is it anyway?" I asked him while reaching for my glasses. There was an electric alarm clock on my table, but I wouldn't be able to actually _see _the time without the glasses. But just as soon as my fingers slightly grazed them, I had Seiji swipe them off the table and out of my reach. Shit, why can't he just go away?

"You won't really be needing these," He said, before placing them into an inner jacket pocket. "And I think it's about, I don't know... 4:00 in the morning?" He said calmly, like it was the middle of the day or something, instead of extremely early in the... I just you could call it morning if you wanted to.

"Why the hell!..." I started to yell as I attempted to jump out of the bed, just to kick him out. But as soon as I made the motion of standing up, I barely collapsed from fatigue, and actually started to faint. But I felt something catch me, well I guess that you should say, _someone._

"Hey, you feeling alright?" I heard him say faintly, but all I was able to do was mumble in response.

Here's a lesson people, always make sure you get at _least _six hours of sleep, or else you'll barely be able to lift your finger. Although, I couldn't really think of a reason for me to feel this tired... I mean, it wasn't like I just ran a marathon or something.

I kept trying to speak, although all that came out was more moaning. And I felt myself being laid down once again, as Seiji pulled my covers over me. When I tried to sit back up, he push me back down, and put a hand on my forehead.

"Ouch!" He yelped in exaggeration, and hold his hand as if he had hurt it badly. "You're head's so hot, I think I burnt my hand!" And then he started waving his hand, as if to cool it down.

_"Don't be such a drama queen..." _I thought to myself, but I was started to feel my eyes close. Damn, why the hell am I so tired? It was like all the energy was suddenly gone. Not a fun feeling.

It was hard to actually stay awake, since the sweet relief of sleep seemed to just be calling me, drawing me closer to it every second... Until finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and I knew I just had to give in. But just before I blacked out, I swore I heard one last thing.

_"Hm, maybe splashing all that cold water on you as a joke earlier wasn't a good idea..." _

_**What seems like hours of dreamless sleep later...**_

_**

* * *

**_

_beep... beep... beep... "Uh, what's that sound?"_ I thought to myself, as I lazily opened my eyes. And what did I see? Why, my annoying alarm clock of course, and the present time that flashed in red, over and over...

6:15, and trust me, I was very tempted to just hit that snooze button, or better yet, yank the power cable out of the wall... But I guess that school could prove benificial, and who knows, maybe I'll feel better as the day goes on.

I slowly mounted from my bed, blinking and rubbing my eyes several times, just so they could adjust to the lack of darkness.

"Although, technecally, darkness is a lack of _light, _not the other way around..." I muttered to myself, before realizing that it was too early to be arguing with myself about these stupid little things.

Slowly, and every so carefully, I changed my clothes into the required school uniform, which in my opinion was just a little too frilly for me.**(1)**

I took one more glance at the digital clock on my night stand, and almost gasped at the time that shone in red, lit up numbers. 7:23

_Since when does it take me **this **__long to get dressed? _I thought to myself, as I realized that I would probably have to skip breakfast, and catch the morning trainin order to make it to school.

I groaned, because this morning, I was actually a little bit on the hungry side. Probably would be a good idea to grab some bread to take as lunch today...

As I walked down the stairs into the main room, which held both the living room and I kitchen, I started to believe that I was even _more _starving than I had origionally thought. Because for some reason, I was smelling some sort of food, although I knew that it was just a figment of my imagination. At least, I was pretty sure...

"Hey, guess who woke up?" I heard an all-familiar voice say from the kitchen, and guess who it was? If you guess my, not-so-billiant brother, than you would already know the competely obvious! and you would already have 5 times the more IQ points than he has. And you know what else? That smell of food wasn't any illusion, he was actually _using _my kitchen, but that wasn't what was really on my mind right now.

_Uh... so hungry... Wait, no! Don't give into him! _I yelled at myself, and headed straight for the door, deciding that I would just buy lunch if I was really that hungry.

"You feeling okay?" He asked from the kitchen. And it would probably be better to answer him than to have him stalking me all the way to school. **_Again_**. And the fact that I used the word 'again' just showed how screwed up my life can be.

"I'm fine..." I said, partly lying, although it didn't really matter.

"You want something to eat?"

"...No" I managed to croak out, despite the lingering hunger that seemed to eat away at me... I just couldn't give into it! I will not be weak! Avoiding eye contact I made it to the front door, and opened it without saying anything else.

"Oh, and Suki, one more thing..." Seiji said, and god, since when was my name _Suki_? How do you go from Shizuku to Suki? It just doesn't make any sense.

"What?" I yelled irritably at him, now making obvious eye contact. And now, I could see the actual smirk on his face. What was so funny?

"Today's Saturday..."

* * *

**Seiji's POV:**

I didn't even need to see the look on her face, I knew I had won. But, I also knew for a fact that she probably still had a fever, so why the hell would she be going to school in the first place? Did she even remember that I took her glasses?

Which come to think of it, I should really give back to her... Not that she seemed to notice.

She slammed the door shut, as she carelessly threw her school bag to the side and kicked off her brown school shoes.

"You want something to eat?" I asked her again, and received a confused look in return.

"Seiji, you realize that you already asked me that question less than a minute ago..."

"Oh..." I said, and realized this was a great opportunity to tease her, "You're not hungry? Too bad..."

"Well, I'm fine!" Suki yelled in a somewhat tired tone. I guess _someone _has low blood sugar this morning! And I knew what she needed to make her feel better...

"You sure?" Pushing it even further, trying to just get her to eat the dang food! I mean, it's not like I poisoned it or anything... And I was pretty sure my cooking was eatable without gagging...

"Would you just leave me alone?"

"Would **you **just eat some stupid food? I know you're starving!" Okay, a little unnecessary, but she is starting to drive me crazy! I may be a dude, but I can have mood swings too!

"So what if I'm starving? That doesn't mean I have to eat the crap you cooked!"

"CRAP?" Way over the line sis... No one insults my cooking skills except me! "IF YOU'RE SO SURE IT TASTES LIKE CRAP, THEN WHY DON'T YOU EAT SOME?"

"Because I don't want to get food poisoning, thank you very much!" She said matter-of-factly, before storming up the stairs to her room, man, what was her problem?

"That's it!" I yelled after her, although I couldn't really see her anymore. "You go to your room right now!"

"I AM in my room!" Was the last thing I heard before the door slammed. Hey, this was our first fight as a family! That means we _are _closer now, AND caring about each other! Score one for me and my supreme abilities to make stuff happen!

But still, I guess that she was pretty pissed right now, and still starving. One of the worst combinations of emotions that she could possibly be in. I should probably do something about that... Shouldn't I?

"Why did this have to be so hard?" I moaned to no one in particular, as I went back into the kitchen to retrieve the ramen noodles I had been making for her. I wasn't sure what kind of foods she would like, so I came to a conclusion. Everybody loves ramen noodles!

After finally discovering where she kept the bowls, I carefully filled two of them to the brim with my own cooking, which as you should know, I have tasted, and has a _great _flavor, thank you very much...

_Now, if I could just get her to eat..._ I thought to myself, as I walked up the stairs leading to her room, or as I would like to call it right now, the cave of terror. Because honestly, I was really scared out of my mind to confront her in one of her bad moods... But I can't show that to her can I? That's a sign of weakness in her eyes.

Quietly opening the door, I sighed in relief at what I saw. Shizuku had already changed into some sort of baggy pjs, which just kinda looked like an oversized t-shirt and some cargo pants. She was propped in a sitting position on her bed with her eyes sealed shut, and a pair of headphones fastened securely around her ears. This was, she couldn't see **or **hear me!

_I'm a ninja! _I thought stupidly in my head, and slightly chuckled at my own stupidity. After all, it's always best to laugh at one's mistakes... So as you must tell, I laugh quite a lot.

As I was about to advance toward her with the two bowls of noodles, when I finally saw what she had placed on the bed... And how I almost felt myself explode, but then, she pick up on of the objects again, and placed it in her mouth. Because on her bed was...

An open bag of holiday colors M&MS.**(2) **I mean what the hell was she thinking? Eating candy instead of my own cooking? Don't get me wrong, candy is pretty awesome, but seriously? That was just **_so _**unhealthy for her to be eating that right now.

Her eyes were still closed, so she still didn't notice my presence, which was actually going to work to my advantage right now... As she popped yet another couple of red and green candies into her mouth, I quickly snatched the bag away from the bed, without even alerting Suki in the slightest. Maybe I really **_should _**be a ninja! Okay, enough of the stupid talk.

"You might want to give those back..." She said, and then opened her eyes just to glare ferociously at me.

"Who did you..." I started to question, "never mind..."

"Seiji... I'm really hungry." She finally grumbled, removing her headphones, and I could hear a faint melody emanating from them, kinda sounded like Hey Monday...

"Uh, oh yeah, that's why I came up here!" I yelped in realization, and handed her one of the bowls, and pulled up a chair which she had near her desk, positioning the chair opposite the bed so I would be facing her. And she had already started to eat hurriedly, like she hadn't had any decent food in weeks.

"So... Does it taste like crap now?" I asked stupidly, only to earn a sigh from her, and a small smile.

"Actually, I never really meant that, it was just the first thing I could think of to say."

"WHAT?" I yelled, almost spilling out the contents of my own bowl, sorry, but that was sort of startling for me. You just can't insult my cooking for no good reason! _Okay, I guess this calls for payback... _I thought in my mind and pondered at what I could do to get her really pissed.

**Shizuku's POV:**

Okay, I hadn't had a meal like that in who-knows-how long, and it actually felt pretty good to be eating a proper meal in the morning. Who knew?

And I found myself laughing silently at my idiotic discovery, but looking at Seiji, he didn't see to notice, and seemed like he was thinking about something deeply, oblivious to everything around him. _Hmm, I wonder what he's thinking about..._

All of a sudden, he looked like he had stopped thinking, and reached for my headphones, which were still on my bed, and probably still turned on due to the fact of my forgetfulness. Which by the way had been true, since he started listening to whatever song was now playing.

_The power lines went out,  
And I am all alone,  
But I don't really care at all  
Not answering my phone..._

He started to sing which his eyes shut, but opened one just so that he could give me a mischievous look, and I understood exactly what he meant, and starting to sing along, since I had already memorized this song, since it was one of my favorites.

_All the games you played_  
_The promises you made_  
_Couldn't finish what you started_  
_Only darkness still remains_

_Lost sight...  
Couldn't see...  
When it was you and me_

I felt so lost in the song, I failed to notice that Seiji had actually stopped singing as well, but I still didn't care...

_Blow the candles out  
Looks like a solo tonight  
I'm beginning to see the light  
Blow the candles out  
Looks like a solo tonight  
But I think I'll be alright..._

It was a little silent after that, until he decided to break the silence by clearing his throat, and started to say something.

"Your singing suck you know, you were really off key."

"EXCUSE ME?" It was a really good thing my bowl was empty, because it fell to the floor with a clank, hopefully it didn't break.

"Yeah, and the music you listen to is pretty awful as well..." He said with a straight face, and trust me, if he was an inch closer, I would have rung his neck.

"It is not! What would you know anyway? I bet _you _listen to rap music, which is totally horrible in _my _opinion."

"What would make you think that I listen to rap?" He said, and oh, he sounded a bit angry! Little sister 2, Big brother 0.

"Then what do you listen to? Hannah Montana?" I asked teasingly, although I knew that he would never admit to that, even if it was true, which it probably wasn't.

"HEY!" He screamed, and literally jumped out of the seat, now standing up, and towering over me. "I just said that stuff to get back at you for saying my food was crap! Don't make this turn on me!" What? He was just joking? Talk about cruel...

"So, I'm not a bad singer?" I asked shyly, and only to receive a loud and full hearted laugh from him.

"How could you not be? You're related to me!"

"Wow? Humble much?"

"...Shut up." He said, now losing him smile ever so slightly. You know what? Maybe having an older brother won't be so bad...

* * *

**(1): **I'm sure all of you know what the uniform looks like by now, and the only reason Shizuku doesn't like it is because it has a skirt, but I totally love the outfit! As a matter of fact, I'm planing on buying a cosplay outfit for an upcoming event, and I'm thinking about buying the girls' school uniform from DN Angel! (one of the reasons I want to buy it is also because one of the voice actors form DN Angel, Greg Ayres, will be at the event! :3)

**(2): **I was eating a lot of these while typing this chapter, I think I might have a new cavity! Jk XD

**A/N: ATTENTION! Okay, good, you're reading this, because this is kinda important... and is about the issue of me taking a long time to update. I apologize for this chapter, but it only took so long because I was really stuck, but I'm not anymore! And, the next chapter will begin the ACTUAL PLOT of the story! ^^ But, I need at least 3 reviews in order for me to post, and I'm serious this time, if I don't get 3 reviews for this chapter, I WILL NOT POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Shizuku: At least now you finally thought of a plot... This story was going no where, and what was all that stuff about the bonus chapter?**

**Me: Hey! I had a plot the whole time, but I needed stuff leading up to it, and forget you read that chapter! Please! I had that idea in my head ever since I started this story, and I'm very tempted to delete that chapter! It didn't happen in this story!**

**Shizuku: *reads draft of later chapters* OH my god NO! You really expect me to go through with this?**

**Me: You don't have a choice, now people, sorry this a/n is really long, but please REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Shizuku: Okay, S.M. doesn't own... you know what? 20 bucks says you already know what I'm about to say here, and I'm still getting paid!**

**S.M: No you're not, this is a non-profit...**

**Shizuku: SHUT UP S.M! Hey, isn't it kinda weird that I don't even know you're name? Let alone your, *snickers* "Loyal readers"**

**S.M: Good point, hey! I got an idea! I'll have a contest on guessing my name! For details, read this chapter, and the A/N at the bottom! :3 And I don't own D.N. Angel...**

* * *

******Chapter 12: The Announcement**

**Daisuke's POV:**

I walked into homeroom this morning, with a cheerful smile on my face. Although, that really wasn't how I was feeling on the inside.

**_"I told you, ask Shizuku if she knows anything about her family history..." _**Dark told me for what was... and yes I was counting... thirteenth time this morning, starting from when I had just woken up to have him belting on me, to eating my breakfast, (which was when he screamed at me for not listening, causing me to choke), to the trolley ride to school... And this was just starting to drive me to the point of looking like a complete fool in front of everyone so that I could yell at him out loud.

_"Why should I?" _I finally dared to ask him, because I could think of a lot of reasons why I shouldn't, but I really couldn't see the benefit of asking Shizuku that strange question. She might actually be oblivious to her family history altogether. Which I found to be very likely.

**_"Do I have to explain everything to you?" _**He asked in return, a question for a question. But I still nodded my head slightly before I sat down in my assigned seat. And I heard him give a loud and obvious sigh, like it was the easiest thing in the world to understand, and yet I still didn't get it.

_**"If she does know something, then we have to know what."**_

_"And why is that? I mean, so what if she knows that she might have magic? What difference does it make?"_

**_"Because... well, I kinda told you, the Sakishima have a tendency to, you know... attack the Niwas and the Hikaris..." _**

_"Are you suggesting that Shizuku is just pretending to be my friend so that she can attack me?" _No way, she was just too nice for that! God, what the hell is going through Dark's mind? Sure, he can read my thoughts, but I couldn't read his for whatever reason. Not fair.

**_"No, not anything like that Daisuke... I do trust her..."_**

_"Well then, what's the problem?" _I asked, adding onto this very long and irritating conversation, but before he could even answer, I felt someone tap on my shoulder. And looking to my right, I saw that it was actually Shizuku, with Riku standing behind her, both of them with a sort of concerned look on their faces.

"Um, Daisuke? Are you okay?" Shizuku asked, and was quickly followed by Riku.

"Yeah, we tried calling your name like three times..." She said, oh, I guess I was kinda busy talking to Dark to notice. That seemed to happen form time to time...

"Oh sorry!" I replied, and readied my usual excuse for when stuff like that happened. "I guess I'm just a little tired is all, didn't really get a lot of sleep last night."

I could tell that the two of them were about to discuss with me even more, but before they even had much of a chance, the teacher told everyone to settle down, signaling for both Shizuku and Riku to go to their seats, seeing that they were basically the only two that were still standing up.

"Now class..." Sensei began to say, and during this time, I was pretty positive that Dark had already fallen asleep, knowing that he pretty much despised sitting in class. "I have a very important announcement for everyone, because by this time next week, we will be having our annual class trip!"

The classroom erupted into various cheers of joy, excitement, and chatter, everyone clearly excited for the upcoming trip. Of course I felt joyful as well, but, everything seemed to be getting pretty chaotic in my life. Actually, maybe the trip could act as a necessary vacation to escape my problems, and maybe get Dark off of my back to keep asking Shizuku stupid questions.

I still remembered parent teacher conference day... And how awkward that had been with Dark telling me to ask her the questions that I had found completely idiotic, and how apparently had made Shizuku feel kinda uncomfortable. I mean, 'do you believe in magic'? What was he thinking? Trust me, it wasn't technically me who was asking those questions... it was Dark using me as some sort of messenger.

"Now class, we will be assigning partners randomly as to who we will sit with on the travel distance to our destination, which is a surprise, to who your partner will be when we are there." The teacher started to explain, and as she was done speaking, a hand shot up, inquiring that someone had a question.

"Yes Ava?" Sensei asked, and one of the classmates spoke. (There were a lot of kids in my class who I were familiar with, but never really talked to.)

"Uh, Sensei? What will we need partners for once we get there? Where ever we're going..." The girl asked, and this question cause the teacher to wear an expression like they wanted to face-palm them self.

"Oh, right, well... we may be taking tours, or you may want to go on other activities, in which you should never go alone." Sensei said, obviously trying to make the whole thing sound as vague as she possibly could.

**Shizuku's POV:**

I could barely pay attention to whatever the teacher was currently saying, although I could have sworn that she had mentioned something about a 'class trip'. But in my defense, I felt pretty tired considering that my weekend was hectic to say the least.

No matter what I did, or no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get Seiji to leave me in peace! He had stayed at my house over the weekend, and slept on the couch, even though I managed to get him out of the house, pushing him out the door. But then, an hour later, he came back with bags full of groceries, like I was kicking him out to go shopping or something. It was exhausting trying to put up with him, because trust me, that guy can TALK.

I had to discover a way to finally tune his voice out because I had gotten so sick of it. And now, I really didn't want to be in school, but it was a whole lot better than being at home with that motor mouth. Like I must have said a dozen times by now, my life is pretty darn screwed up.

"Okay, so in order to randomly choose our partners, half of the class will come up to the front, and pick up a popsicle stick out of this jar, which contains the names of everyone in the class." Sensei explained quite cheerfully. I had a feeling that she was looking forward to this trip, where ever it was we were going...

"Anna!" She said, after reaching into the jar that contained these yellow colored sticks, "Come up here and choose your partner!"

As the blond girl stood up and walked to the front, I took note how she was wearing a ear to ear grin, and to me, she just seemed a little _too _joyous. But all the same, she reached into the jar with her eyes sealed shut, and the smile was still plastered on her face, that was, until she actually looked at the paper, in which she quickly put on a disappointed look.

"Oh, I got Tess..." She said, slumping back to her seat, which ironically, was right in front of the girl named Tess. This might be fun to watch...

"What was so wrong with getting me?" The unusually tall girl asked innocently. She was kinda known in the class for two things, not that I really payed much attention to it. The first, of course was her height, which was larger than the other girls in the class, and the second, despite her size (not fat, she was relatively skinny, but just very tall) she was kinda a wimp. But then again, I didn't really know her that well, so I shouldn't be one to judge.

"Nothing!" I heard in their hushed conversation, "I just was really wanted to get Satoshi..." I barely heard, and I highly doubt that no one else had heard, or was even trying to listen except me. But I didn't really care anyway... so what if she wanted Satoshi? I couldn't really care much less.

I listened as the several other names had been called, one after another, and for some reason, all the names stuck to my head, as I remember each partnership, although I barely knew any of them.

Casey was with Derek, Shara with Josh, Jessica with Katie (In which the two girls squealed in joy, I swear, they never leave each other's side...) Lucia was with Grace (Again followed by more high pitched squealing, it was so convenient that these best friends were getting paired up together.) And Riku was paired up with Ayumi, which would work out pretty well, considering that they were both on the track and field team.

"Shizuku!" Sensei called my name, and signaled me to come to the front. Honestly, I didn't see the point in having us randomly choose our partners, it would just make more sense for the teacher to pick the partnerships herself. But all the same, I stuck my hand into the jar full of the stupid and pointless sticks, and saw that there were only five of them left, and remembered who the five names belonged to. Yuuji, Takeshi, Daisuke, Risa, and of course... Satoshi.

I didn't really get my hopes up or anything, I mean, he had seemed to be avoiding me for what seemed like the longest time. I guess he just started to lose interest in me or something... There were a lot of prettier girls out there. And most of them were part of his own personal fan club.

I slowly pulled out one of the sticks which I had chosen to grasp, and looked at it for a moment, but there wasn't any name on the side.

_Duh... _I thought to myself, before flipping it over to look at the black letters that were scrawled on the side...

"I got... Daisuke." I said out loud while smiling widely, before walking back to my seat. I was actually pretty happy to get Daisuke, he was a pretty good friend, and I certainly didn't want to get stuck with Risa or Takeshi. Why not? Well, Takeshi could get pretty annoying at times, and unfortunately, I had learned that from experience. And as for Risa, well, like I've said in the past, a little too girly and ditzy for my taste.

At least Daisuke wouldn't be too bad, he was nice, and wasn't annoying. Oh yeah, and he was a pretty great friend as well.

The next name that was called was actually Risa's, who by the way she started to stumble seemed to be pretty nervous. But then again, she probably was as fond of the idea of being paired up with Takeshi as I did.

Her shaky hand reached into the jar, and once she read it, it looked like relief had washed over her, as she smiled brightly and her hazel eyes lit up in excitement. Guess she didn't get...

"I got Satoshi!"

...Takeshi

**Daisuke's POV:**

_Oh, this can't be good... _I thought, right after Shizuku said my name.

_**What? Aren't you friends with her? **_Dark asked teasingly, although the only reason that I was freaked out was actually _because _of Dark.

_Well I have a feeling you're just going to make me hound her with questions the entire trip! _I yelled defensively. And if by some chance that I would actually be able to relax...

**_Well, if you really feel that way... I guess I'll give you guys a break... _**I heard him say in a sort of amused, yet disappointed voice. Wait, did I just hear him right?

_Dark, did you just say what I thought you did? _I asked in confusion, I mean, it really wasn't like Dark to suddenly get off my back about a subject, he used to hound me about Riku all the time, as a matter of fact, he still does from time to time.

**_Yeah, I guess I'm feeling a bit generous, you won't have to ask her any of my, 'pointless' questions... _**Since when is Dark this generous, I mean to tease me, he never hesitates, and when there's something that he really desires, he never just gives up.

**_But! I have a small price. _**He said almost instantly, and probably had a smirk on his face.

I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like this one bit...

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**A/N: **Sorry this is kinda short, but I did this for two reasons. The first, I kinda wanted it to be a bit of a cliffy, because this class trip will last a good amount of chapters and will have some awesome and shocking content in it! Just warning you...  
And the second reason... I couldn't think of anything else to write without giving the next chapter away, and I typed this entire thing in one day, my school SNOW DAY! :3 sorry, had to get that out!

**Shizuku: **What about this whole guess your name contest? Time to explain the rules...

**Me: **Thanks for reminding me! The rules are simple, in this chapter, I included several different names of "insignificant" classmates. One of the names of those classmates is my name, but I hid it pretty well in there, so I highly doubt you could guess it. But put your guess in a review and I'll tell you if you're right!

**Shizuku: **And remember, SoulMaiden24 is a GIRL, obvoiusly (recently changed pen name) So give it your best guess!


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: As always, I don't own DN Angel, but I do own OCs such as Shizuku and Seiji. And to all who celebrate it, Gung Hay Fat Choy! Year of the Rabbit, yay...**

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**Chapter 13: Awkwardness and Arguments**

**Shizuku's POV:**

_Okay class, make sure you pack some warm clothes for the trip, and I'll need all of you to get these permission slips signed by a parent or guardian to make sure that you are allowed to go. See you all tomorrow!_

I sighed, walking home, which was still probably occupied by my *cough* _guardian, _who of which would need to sign this stupid permission slip. And if he didn't break down into signing it for his 'darling and cute' little sister. (Which he probably would, considering I was prepared to play the tear card) I could always do my best to forge his penmanship. It couldn't be too hard... right?

Anyways, I did my usual routine for opening the front door, which of course would include getting out my key, turning it into the lock... blah blah blah, really exciting, I know. Overall today, nothing exceptional had happened, or nothing with extreme significance had caught my attention. But, I guess with everything that has been going on with me recently... That could be accounted for a good thing.

I started to pull my keys from out of my pocket, but as soon as I had them in my sight, I didn't even have the chance to use them. As a head splitting migraine started to emerge, and instantly had me feeling fatigue engulf me.

Feeling my knees buckle, I was now leaning up on the door for support, desperately trying to regain balance once again, or just keep myself from keeping conscious. The slim piece of metal was still in my hand, and I was gripping on it even tighter, causing the somewhat sharp grooves to dig slightly into my skin.

These sudden migraines were starting to get very annoying, and causing me more agonizing pain than the last, and every time that they happened, I feels like all energy I have suddenly leaves me, but returns right after the headache leaves.

How my pain get much worse you might ask? I wasn't really sure, until of course, the front door of my house started to open. And remember how that door was the only thing keeping me supported on my feet? Well, as it started to swing inward, I felt myself start to fall forward, and desperately tried to brace myself for the impact. But, I wasn't feeling all that prepared to endure any more pain right now, but prepared or not, I knew what was coming...

"Ow..." I managed to mumble as the hard wood met up with my body. I guess it hurt more because my defense system was already pretty low, if I still had any defense system left in me.

"Yesh, Suki, since when have you been so clumsy?" I heard Seiji say sarcastically. Oh thanks bro, I feel _so _much better now that you say stuff like that. I felt him help me up, and as usual, he had a stupidly cheerful smile plastered on his face. I swear, sometimes to me, he resembles a cheshire cat.

He picked me up bridal style and just dumped me onto the couch. At first, the sudden impact of the furniture had took me into shock, and made me feel even more sore than I already was. But, I really didn't feel like moving, because in just a very short while, that couch had gone from painful, to actually quite comforting.

"I do the nice thing by opening the door for you when you come home, and you just fall to the ground?"

"Well, for your information..." I started to say while I stood up from the couch, but then I suddenly realized something. "Wait, how did you know I was at the door?"

"Uh, I... uh, heard your keys turning in the lock! Yes! That's what!" He stuttered out, slightly spazing out as he did so, which of course caused me to roll my eyes at him. Mainly because I knew for a fact that he was just making this up as we went along. But, he had forgotten about one minor detail, and like any annoying sister would do, I had to point it out to him.

"You unlocked the door for me..." And at that point, he looked completely blank, like he didn't have a thought in his head, and was just standing there dumbly, so I took this opportunity to walk up to my room and start packing for the upcoming trip.

Looks like I'll just forge the signature, because there really wasn't any reason why I had to put up with Seiji for something like this. And besides, I could probably use the week away to relax a little bit, and finally get _away _from the insanity that was my older brother. I mean, for a moment, I thought it could have been okay to have him around, but then, well, I actually started _spending time _with him. I guess it's like when you meet someone for the first time, and you think you can be friends, but then you realize that they are super annoying, and start clinging to you...

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was going through right now with Seiji. Except, he was living with me now, so I really couldn't get away from him very easily. Trust me, I don't know how he suddenly just decided to move in with me, or how I allowed it, but it was happening, and man was it one of the most aggravating things that you can go through.

_The teacher said it would be cold... right? _I thought to myself, and tried to account on my horrible memory of class time, but I realized that it didn't really matter all that much, because I always wore long-sleeved shirts no matter what the weather.

I started packing a couple of sweaters, shirts, and some other clothing into my duffle bag, which I usually kept around incase I wanted to move again. Although this time, that didn't seem to be the case of the bag's purpose.

"Oh no!" I heard a voice say from the doorway to my room. And guess what? Think of the idiot, and he suddenly appears! Although he looked like something was wrong, which knowing him, could just be about anything, starting from spilling a glass of milk. (Yeah yeah, think no one ever cries over spilled milk? You'd be wrong there.)

"You hate me so much I'm driving you out of your own house!" He started to yell quite dramatically, and before I even knew what the heck was going on, he had pulled me into an ultra-tight hug, and now squeezing the life out of me.

_God... Can't... Breathe..._

"I'm so sorry Suki! Please don't move because of me!" He kept on yelping, and with each second, his grip on me was getting tighter, which of course cause me to desperately try of escape his solid clasp on me, but to no avail, I could barely breathe.

"Se-Seiji!" I managed to say while I was flailing my arms up and down, trying to get my message through to him. But instead of understanding that I wanted him to let go, he started to go on a sort of temper tantrum, while still holding onto me as air tight as he possibly could.

"I'm a horrible person! I've been so cruel to you! Now it's like I'm practically kicking you to the curb!" God someone help me before he _hugs _me to death? I need to think of something quickly to get him to let go of me!

_How did I get rid of him in the past? Wait that's it!_

_

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_

**Seiji's POV:**

"I'm sorry Suki! Please forgive my jerk-like ways!" I kept repeating, I couldn't believe myself! Trying to fix things with her, and then it just turns out by doing so, I'm making her hate me! I mean...

"OW!" I yelped, letting go of her, and clasped my hands on my now injured foot, great, now she hates me so much that she's kicking me, what kind of brother am I?

"I'm... Not... Moving!" I heard he say, although between each word, she seemed to be desperately panting for air. Oh, I guess I may have been hugging her a little too tight, okay, so now I realize why she stepped on my foot so hard, but wait, what did she just say?

"You're not?" I asked, and I was starting to feel kinda hopeful, maybe I wasn't so horrible! But why would she be packing if she wasn't moving?

"I'm..." She started to seem hesitant, but let out a sigh, and continued to talk. "I'm going on a class trip next week, so I need to pack..."

"Oh..." I said dumbly, as I felt myself sweatdrop in my own dumbness. I had just made a huge deal about something that wasn't even happening.

"So, where are you going? Does your class need any chaperones?" I asked optimistically although I already had a pretty good idea what her answer would be.

"First of all, I don't know where we're going, second of all, no, we don't need any chaperones."

Yeah, well that figures, even if they did need some parent volunteers, I would highly doubt that she would allow me to anything like that. I don't mind all that much, but I kinda would like to see what kind of friends she has made, all I know so far is that she made friends with, that boy... Daisuke Niwa. I really hope she has made more friends than that.

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**Shizuku's POV:**

"So, you gonna spend time with all of your little friends on this vacation?" He asked while taking a seat on my bed. And normally, I would have answered, but, for some reason, I didn't appreciate the way that he stated that question. It made me sound as if I was just a little child to him, something that I utterly despised.

I completely ignored him, and continued in my packing, as if suddenly finding it extremely interesting. He sat for a couple of the minutes in silence while I got some more clothes out of my drawers, and continued to place them in my duffle bag, although, the silence didn't seem to be any less awkward than when he was talking about something really stupid. But, surprisingly, he stayed strangely out of character, and didn't make a single sound.

All he did was sit there, and watch as I placed objects from my room into the open bag on the floor, and although I never looked directly at him, I could tell that his eyes never left me, and it felt as if he was giving me that, "I'm undressing you with my eyes" kind of look.**(1)** I knew he probably wasn't giving me that kind of look, I mean, come on, he's my _brother. _Yet... whatever kind of glare it was, I was starting to find it quite irksome.

"Stop looking at me like that!" I finally said, and by the reaction he had on his face, I guess it was expected to lose my temper like that, seeing as he didn't so much as flinch. But instead, after he took a second to study to scowl that had occupied my face, he just held up a piece of paper with an amused look on his face.

As I got a closer look to what he was holding up, I felt the deep frown on my face lighten up as I finally realized what it exactly was, and I now felt hopelessly confused and baffled.

_How did he get the permission sheet out of my backpack? _I questioned myself, and as if a reflex, I whipped my head around to my brown school bag that had been thrown on my desk. And what would you know, it was wide open as well.

"Okay, how in the name of all common sense did you do that?" I asked, slightly impressed with him, but tried to hide it in my tone.

"Don't you know all common sense is dead these days?" He said sarcastically, and finally stood up from my bed, his eyes now glued to the simple form, but looked somewhat intrigued by it.

"So, there is this dance at the last day of the vacation... That would be fun for you." He said while still scanning over the paper, and once he was done, yet another broad smile was spread across his face in a cheerful manner. And without being asked, he quietly picked up a black ballpoint pen from my desk, placing the paper down on the wooden surface. I heard the familiar sound of the paper being scratched, and I saw his left hand make the single movement that I recognized as writing, before he handed it back to me.

"Here you go!" He yelped, and he was still holding it in his outstretched hand while I started to eye it suspiciously. I would have thought there would have been some kind of catch, or maybe some kind of favor I would have to owe him...

An eyebrow arched in curiosity, I hesitantly reached for the paper, but just like the time with my glasses, he quickly snapped it out of my reach.

"Oh, I see..." I muttered sarcastically, for some reason, I had been expecting this from him. "What do you want in return?" I asked with my usual sigh, although his plastered ear to ear grin didn't change the slightest.

"I just want you to answer one simple question, about this trip."

"What is it?" And if he was going to try to ask where the trip _was _again, then it would really show his true ignorance. I thought that maybe deep down, he might have an intelligent side with some kind of deep knowledge. But still, highly unlikely to be true.

"Who is your partner, and what are the significance of having one?"

"Hm..." I pondered, placing my hand under my chin and ever so slightly pouted, probably looking as deep in thought as I was. "Well, what a particular question to ask." I muttered under my breath, but I didn't think that that he actually heard me. But still, I kinda wanted that permission slip, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being able to have something over my head.

"Well, if you're really that curious, my partner is Daisuke, and why are you asking about this anyway?"

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**Seiji's POV:**

_So, she's paired with the Niwa... what incredible coincidences she gets herself into._ I thought in my head, and I felt myself mentally smirk, although I kept the fake smile still tug my lips upward.

"Oh, I was just curious, the paper touches upon the subject, but doesn't explain it much." I quickly told her, although, I knew for a fact that we weren't near to done talking.

"So, what do the partners do? Were they just randomly selected or something?" She started walking out of the room, her back now to me, but, for some reason, I had this feeling that she wanted me to follow her. So likewise, I was right behind her with every single step she took throughout the house.

"Actually, they were selected randomly, and the significance of it all is just a couple activities that you and your partner do together just to ensure the safety of everyone on the trip." She stated matter-of-factly, geez, didn't she just love to hear the sound of her own voice.

"Well, could you name a couple of these, _activities_ of which you speak?" I once again asked, using air quotes around the word 'activities'. In all honesty, I wasn't thrilled about my little sister being friends with the likes of that boy... Let alone be partners with him on some class trip where I wouldn't be able to watch over her.

"I don't know, exploring the place we're going to, depending where we are, hiking, skiing, meeting up at meals, sharing rooms, looking at museums," She was about to continue on her somewhat endless list, but I needed to stop her mid-sentence.

"Wait a minute, what did you just say?" I asked surprised, because unless I was mistaken, one of the things in that list struck me in a very negative way.

"Skiing? I don't know, teacher just said to dress warm, so I'm not so sure..."

"No, after that..." I urged on because I had a feeling she might have been avoiding something, although her face did not falter.

"Looking at museums? Yeah, it's kinda a natural thing for me to do... After a while, you pretty much memorize all the pieces of artwork you own family museum contains."

"Yeah, why did Mom give _you _the museum?" I asked, I mean come on, I was her first born! Wait I'm getting of topic! "I mean, no, but before that activity!"

"Oh! You mean meeting up at meals!" She said, her head no longer visible because it was now hidden inside the refrigerator which she had so 'conveniently' opened, and retrieved a bottle of water. How plain, I had bought cans of both iced tea and soda for her, and she still just drinks bottled water? It's just not right.

"No, but _after _that part! And don't try to avoid what I thought I heard you say!" I practically shouted at her, and by now, my smile had been completely dissolved into a half scowl, half frown.

"Oh... I guess you mean the... sharing rooms part." She said quietly.

"YES, THAT PART!" I said, completely outraged by now. I mean, sharing rooms with a boy? She was 18! I mean, that's a _really _bad idea, and the boy was a Niwa! That just made this kind of situation three times worse, I could never allow her to do something like that!

"I can't allow you to do something like that, you're not going on this trip."

"Excuse me?" She said defensively, and glaring straight at me, setting her bottle on the counter. "I'm eighteen, legally an adult, so you, of all people, have no right to boss me around!"

"I'm older than you, and your brother!" I cried back at her, "If I say you're forbidden to go, you can't go, simple as that." I told her once more, and started to walk over to the living room.

"Give me one solid reason why I can't go!"

"Because you'll be there with a Niwa!" I retorted, barely thinking, but then I just realized what I said to her.

"A... Niwa? What does that have to do with anything?" Suki practically whispered, but I barely heard her. But considering I did, I guess that means I would have to explain this whole situation to her. Man, I didn't really want to have this talk right now.

I felt myself sigh, and run my fingers through my short, blond hair. I couldn't look directly at her, because I never could explain this correctly in a way that she would ever understand, and I knew that fairly well.

"Listen, I have a hunch that you already know about the..." I felt a lump start to form in my throat, just thinking about the subject, but I knew she had to hear this. "The, um, Black Wings..."

For a moment, she was completely silent, I actually turned around to her to make sure she was still there, which she was, but just looking at the ground, like some kind of isolated statue.

"I'm not having this conversation." She replied bluntly, apparently, she knew as well where this was going as I did.

"No, you need to, and seeing the fact that you don't want to talk about it, just proves my hunch to be true. Now sit down!" I told her, pointing downward toward the couch, and reluctantly, she did.

"Can't we talk about anything else?" She said with a sigh, pressing her fingers against her forehead, obviously annoyed by all of this. But, like I said, I'm about as comfortable about this little talk as she is. Although, I had a feeling I could persuade her to be open with this idea, and I had the perfect plan for it too. I wasn't expecting to fully go through with it, but it might still work.

"Okay, I know what we can talk about!" I said once again cheerful, but this time, with a mischievous smirk.

"And... it doesn't have anything to do with the... previous topic?" She asked me nervously, and I shook my head as an answer, just to satisfy her.

"Not at all!" I exclaimed, sitting right next to her, and draped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, although, I saw it as a way to assure that she couldn't _run _away. "This has to do with puberty!" I looked straight into her eyes, and for some reason, enjoyed that look of confused fear in them. This could actually prove to be enjoyable fun...

"You see, you're still pretty young, and in your body, hormones are mass producing every second, and those teenage hormones can drive you to act pretty stupid, and those hormones also always crave something, and..." I felt her trying to get up, but in response, I held a tighter grip around her shoulders, keeping her next me, much to her disappointment, and I could tell. "Where do you going? I haven't given my whole science lesson on the reproductive system to you!"**(2) **And by this, her fear seemed to increase substantially, seeing as she suddenly turned completely white, and there was literally no color on her face.

"Okay, you win! You happy? Just... stop talking about this!" Ha! I had a feeling that would work on her! But, I still needed to talk to her about the main issue at hand.

"I just want you to stay away from them, okay? You never know what could happen, or what that family might do." I told her, and I was sincerely concerned for her welfare, but based on the look she gave me, I had a feeling she just didn't understand.

"Daisuke is my friend, and is really nice, so you should just relax okay?" She was still very bland in her responses to me, and acted as if there wasn't any reason for concern. _Oh, how naive you are... But you still have a lot to learn, little sister. _"And, I'm still going on the trip."

"Says who? I never gave you the permission slip." Which, for some reason, I had not remembered what I had done with, but it was more than likely that I just left it on the counter-top or something. But now, it was her turn to put on a victorious smirk, because in her right hand, which she showed proudly, was that form, with my signature written clearly on the bottom. Well played Suki, well played.

"Alright, since you've been a good sport about things, I'll let you go, but..."

"But what?" She cut in before I could finish, and just to make sure she wouldn't do that again while I was explaining, I put my hand over her mouth, preventing her from making another sound. She was probably going to bite the skin off of my hand the second I finished talking, but oh well.

"But, we do need to have a certain talk when you come back, and after that talk, I'll let you decide if you want to continue to befriend that Niwa and Hikari. Sound fair?" I might as well be reasonable, I couldn't let her hating me, but I still wanted to be a responsible guardian for her to look up to. I removed my hand from her mouth, and waited for an answer from her.

"I'll agree to the talk," She admitted, and I took that as a cue to make my leave, getting up from the couch, and heading for the front door. No need for me to stick around the couple days before she leaves...

"But, what Hikari? I don't understand who you mean, there isn't anyone who I know of those roots..." I heard her voice say from the couch, and I was now right in front of the door, no longer looking at her.

"You know Suki, you shouldn't believe everything you hear..." I told her, and then turned my head around, and as I predicted, she looked hopelessly confused.

"All I'll say is... the Hikari's could be known for two things..." I swung the door open, and held up a finger, "The first, creating artwork..." Then, I held up a second finger, "The second, having hair and eyes that resemble the color of ice." Then, quickly turning my head back around before I could see her reaction, if she had any, I was already gone, walking down the empty streets of Azumano as the sun had been starting to set in the distance, giving of an orangish and vibrant red hue. And somewhere else in the world, it would be rising, symbolizing a new day, and hopefully, a new perspective.

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**1) **Gah, I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist! On Friday, there was this creepy random guy giving my friends and I that... "look", and now we call that guy, "banana pervert" it is a funny story, tell me if you wanna know it, because I found it hilarious! XD

**2) **0.o This is why Science class is not one of my favorite classes. (Also, because I love Literature, but you get the point)

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I'll try to update really quick, also because when March comes around, I won't have much time to update, and at the end of April, I'm going to an Anime Con. But hey! Next week is break for me ^^ Look forward to it!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: You ca****n read, can't you? This says "_disclaimer_" and I am claiming that I don't own my favorite anime... **

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**Daisuke's POV:**

"Bye Mom! See you in a week!" I yelled across the busy airport to her, just as I joined the rest of my class as we stood in line to get on the plane. I could tell that she was crying, like really upset to see me go, but on the way here, she was lecturing me in a strict tone on how to be careful, and if I saw any suspicious (or interesting looking) art works, to make sure to send out a warning letter. Yep, just a usual vacation for me, despite the fact that I didn't know where we were actually going, and it was starting to get kind of annoying, but I guess I'll just have to find out.

**_"All I can tell you is that you guys have got a LONG plane ride to get through!" _**I heard Dark snicker, wait, did _already _forget his end of the bargain I agreed to? He was suppose to stop making idiotic comments!

_"Dark! I already told you we had a deal, although, I don't really see what you would want with..."_

**_"I have my reasons!" _**He quickly retorted back, just as I joined my class as we all boarded the plane, and it was pretty crowed, so I decided, that it was time to concentrate on finding my seat, and not worrying about what Dark had to say right now, because really, he shouldn't be talking, because, I had a feeling that Dark could be able to hold up on a promise.

"8C, 8C.." I mumbled to myself as I walked down the aisles, and I was starting to get the feeling that I was hopelessly lost, maybe if I could find a flight attendant, but as I kept scanning the right aisles, I couldn't find my seat at all, was I suppose to look in the left aisles now?

"Looking for your seat, Daisuke?" I heard an all to familiar voice sarcastically ask, as I turned around, just to see Shizuku sitting down in one of the left aisles. She was pointing to the seat next to her, which, as I got a closer look, was of course, labeled 8C. I kinda felt like an idiot, but just kept smiling, and started to shyly laugh.

"Uh, thanks, I guess I just didn't see it before..." I told her, as I reached upward to place my bag in the overhead storage, and I looked back at her just to see her smiling, and pulled out a light novel from a small bag that she had on her lap.

"I know, you walked past your seat three times already, it was actually kinda funny..." She said, not really bothering to make eye contact, although, I could just barely see her looking at me, as if to catch any sudden reaction.

"But then, why didn't you stop me the first time?" I asked her as I sat down, but instead of answering right away, she turned to the next page in the book, although for some reason, I had this feeling she wasn't actually reading it.

"Wasn't sure if you were actually looking for you seat, but then I noticed that you looked really confused the third time..." She retorted blandly. I guess that answer was just a way of saying that watching me being lost was assuming. Before I could say anything else, I could hear the instruction for all the passengers to buckle their seat belts, and to prepare for take off. At which point, Shizuku and I both placed and fastened the black belts across our waists. Although it didn't make her take her eyes off the book in her hand.

"What are you reading?" I asked her, causing her to look up, and there wasn't much interest on her face.

"Just some fantasy book that I picked up from the library, not really sure what it's about..."

"Then why would you choose that book?" I asked, slightly confused by her decision. If I were to pick to read, I would certainly want to know at least vaguely what the story line would be about, otherwise, how would you know wether you would be interested in it?

"You know, just because you don't know what it's about, doesn't mean that it won't be of interest to you." She started to say, as she looked out the window, since she was in the window seat, and slightly leaning over to see out of it too, I could see that were rising up from the ground. But Shizuku quickly snapped her head back to looking at me.

"Also, sometimes, I find the summaries of books misleading. If you just read the description of the book, you would really know if it is any good or not until you open it and take a look." She said with a smile once again spread across her face.

"So you just read randomly chosen books all the time?" I asked her, I realized that the subject was a bit bland, but it did count as a conversation, didn't it? And she probably has interest in the subject herself.

"No, only for the fantasy genre, but I do try to avoid ones that involve vampires and werewolves..." She said with a sigh, while she had started to eye the back of the hardcover book, and judging from the kind of reaction she had on her face after she looking at it for a couple seconds, I think I had a pretty good idea what her "randomly chosen" book was about.

"Is it about vampires?" I asked her as she was putting it back into her bag, earning a small glare in return.

"Maybe..." She told me a small smirk on her face, and started to search for something else in her bag. I was guessing she had a back up book in case she didn't find the first one interesting. But instead, she pulled out something flat, and silver, which I soon recognized to be an mp3 player. Hm, I never knew that Shizuku was interested in music, but hey, isn't everybody these days? After a second, she started to sense that I was looking at her while she was getting out a pair of ear buds, resulting in another small smile from her.

"These long trips can get boring sometimes..." She told me, and I guess she would be the expert on that, since like she said in the past, she used to move from place to place all the time. And hopefully, the key words in the sentence are _used to._

I just remembered that I hadn't brought anything to occupy myself with over the flight, and well, that must have been a stupid move on my part, because now I would have nothing to do for, how long was this plane ride again?

_**"About three hours I guess, at least Shizuku was smart, unlike you." **_Dark told me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, I should of known that he wouldn't completely leave me be on the trip, although, I kinda had to admit that he was right this time.

_"Well, too late now, what do you think I should do?" _I asked, doubting that I would actually get a useful answer out of him.

**_"Just do what I do most of the day!" _**He said in a cheerful tone, like he had been using lately, unless we were taking about something serious, although, whenever he was talking about something serious recently, it made me feel kinda uncomfortable, mostly because of what the topic was usually about.

_"I think it would be kind of hard to annoy myself for the entire ride." _I told him, mostly, I was being truthful, but I have to admit I was getting back at him a little from all of his unnecessary banter he threw at me.

**_"Actually, I was going to say that you should sleep, just like I do in all of your classes, but hey, I'm not going to judge you."_** He instructed me, before going silent, and my best guess was that he was probably already out. Sometimes, I wish I could just fall asleep whenever I wanted, but in order to do that, I would probably have Dark in control of my body, but I wasn't going to take that risk just to get some rest.

Sighing, I tried laying back, and got into a somewhat comfortable position, and before I knew it, I had found what I had been looking for, the sweet sense of being unconscious.

* * *

_"Attention all passengers, we will be descending very shortly." _I heard the overhead speaker say, right before I started to shift around in my seat, wait, did I sleep through the entire ride? I guess I could count that as a good thing.

As I lazily opened my eyes, everything seemed kind of foggy to me, but that make just be because my eyes haven't adjusted to the bright light yet. Like when you've been sleeping for a long time, and then you open your eyes to the bright sunlight, and your natural reaction is to shut you eyes again. But, I forced them open, and the first thing I saw was Shizuku looking out the window, well, her back was faced to me, so I was guessing she was looking out the window, with her mp3 player still in her hand.

_Did she stay up this entire time? _I asked myself, because I knew that I would never be able to do that, even if I did bring something along with me to occupy myself. But then again, like she's said before, she does travel a lot, so she would probably be used to it by now.

"Hey, Shizuku, we're landing soon." I told her, because I could see that she was still listening to music, but she didn't move, or give any sign that she had heard me.

_Maybe she has her music too high... _I thought, but even if it was, wouldn't I hear it too? That happens sometimes on the bus, when some people turn their music up too loud and you start to hear it too. I kinda found it annoying when it happened, but it's just one of those things you have to live with. But now, I couldn't hear any noise coming from it, so wouldn't she be able to hear me?

"Shizuku?" I said, a little concerned, and slightly shook her shoulder, but she still didn't move, and was very limp. At this point, I was leaning over in my seat to see her face, and when I did, I saw that her eyes were still closed, and her breathing was soft and even. She had fallen asleep in a sort of unusual position though, the position itself wasn't strange, but considering she pretty much out cold in that position, it was a bit peculiar.

She looked exactly like she did before I fell asleep, her elbow was on the arm of the chair closest to the window, and her head was supported by her chin being placed in her hand, like she was staring out the window.

**_"She looks even cuter asleep, and I didn't even think that was possible!"_** Dark said, surprising a little bit by the sudden out burst, but I quickly got over it, although I didn't really like the idea of him staring at Shizuku while she was sleeping, so I turned to the other side.

**_"Ah, don't be like that Daisuke! Besides, don't you have to wake her up?"_** He told me, and even if I hated to admit it, he had a point. She would have to wake up to get off the plane, and since I'm the one sitting next to her, I guess that means that I'm the one who should do it.

"Shizuku, wake up..." I quietly said, and started to lightly shake her shoulder in attempt to wake her, but I had no luck, so I started to start pushing her a little more roughly, although not by much.

"Come on, you have to wake up!" I said one more time, since I was starting to get a little agitated, but tried to keep calm head. Although, after what seemed to be forever, (which was probably only a couple of seconds) she started to stir in the plane seat, which just resulted in her switching from facing the window, to moving to the other side of the chair, now facing me, and her eyes leisurely opened.

When she actually sat up, she still only looked half awake, and she had glazed-over eyes, like she had been brainwashed in her sleep. Not necessarily a fantastic thing, but it was better than he being asleep, at least, I hoped it was.

"Um, Shizuku? Are you feeling okay?" I asked in a concern tone, and I was just expecting her to just nod instead of actually speaking and words.

"Shì, tóng xué.."**(1) **She mumbled, although I'm not completely sure if she was speaking another language, just speaking gibberish, or I just couldn't hear what she said correctly. But, she removed her earbuds, and placed her belongings in her bag like everything was normal.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" I inquired, but when I looked into her eyes again, they seemed to be back to their normal, crystal blue state, I guess she got over that pretty quick.

"Oh yeah, fine. Just, when I first wake up, I'm not well, _fully _awake, but I get over it after a minute." She said, and a small grin was across her face, like nothing had happened. "Why, did I say something weird?"

"No, I don't think so..." I informed her, and I felt a sudden movement like the whole plane had been situated in another angle, when I saw after looking out the window, we were shifting toward the ground, since I noticed that we were now landing, and outside, it was slightly snowing. I wonder where we are?

"I believe we're in Sapporo**(2)**, which is actually pretty far up north in Japan compared to Azumano..." She explained to me, as if she had been reading my mind. As I felt the small impact as the plane came in contact with the ground.

It felt like a bumpy landing, but when the plane stopped jerking up and down, I looked over at Shizuku, who was holding her head with a pained look on her face.

"Shizuku! Did you hit your head on something?" I slightly demanded, while taking hold of both of the shoulders, so she could balance herself out, but she didn't look so full of life, and was slightly pale, what was wrong with her?

"I-I'm fine..." She murmured after a second, although, she didn't look as great as she claimed.

"Are you sure? Do you need to see a doctor or something?"

"No, I'm alright, trust me." I heard her reassure, as she started to stand up, just like the other passengers had already done, and I knew that I wouldn't want to be late to catch up with the rest of the class...

"I just get some migraines sometimes, so don't worry about it!" Shizuku cheerfully added, reaching upward into the overhead compartment where I had previously placed my bag before I had sat down. And after a second of streching up as high as it looked she could possibly reach, she handed me my own bag, and carried what I presumed to be her own.

"Thanks." I told her, and put on a very broad smile on my own face. "So, you ready to have some fun?" I quizzed her, as we both started striding off of the plane, catching a glimpse of Riku and a couple of other of our classmates.

"Yeah, you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this week!" She exclaimed, as we both advanced towards the rest of them, Shizuku walking ahead of me, since she was just a bit faster, that, and my bag was slightly slowing me down.

_I think that the only one that's more excited about this trip than me would be her... _I thought to myself, because she seemed overjoyed at the thought of this week, and it even looked like something had changed in her smile, although I didn't have the slightest idea what it was.

**

* * *

Dark's POV:**

_Migraines, huh? _I thought about for a moment, although I knew Daisuke couldn't hear my thoughts like I could his, so I knew he wouldn't really understand everything I had suspicions about. But the main one was why Shizuku had practically collapsed on the plane, because I had a feeling that wasn't any normal headache.

_When Daisuke touched her, the magic I sensed being released form her was crazy! _I pondered, wondering if my theory had been right all along, although deep down, I had been hoping it wasn't. Well, there was only one guarantee way to figure it out, and I would have to do it myself.

_"Hey, Daisuke..."_

**_"Yeah, what is it?" _**He quickly responded, even though I could tell he was kind of eager to stop talking to me, and get back to Shizuku, Riku, and a bunch other girls that were supposedly in his class as well. But I wouldn't blame him, I would rather be talking to a bunch of girls than him any day.

_"I've decided when I want you to play up your half of the agreement." _I directed him, but barely wanted to let him in on my full plan, at least, not just yet.

**_"Oh, great..." _**He replied, and I couldn't help but snicker, even just a little at his reaction.

_Trust me Dai, you barely know the half of it._

_

* * *

_

**(1) **I'm not completely sure about this translation, but I know for a fact that "tóng xué" means "classmate", and I think that "Shì" means "yes", that's what I want it to mean, but I'm not sure. Basically, it's suppose to mean "Yes, classmate" in Chinese.

**(2) **The northern-most fairly large city in Japan, which is on the island of Hokkaido, but Sapporo is supposedly not nearly as cold as the rest of the island. (It's amazing what you'll find when you google something)

**A/N: Please, if you have a heart, read this note to the very bottom. On Monday, February 21, a boy that I knew passed away. I may write on how there might be pain in suffering in this world, but life is a gift, and death is something that should not be toyed with. None of my friends or I want to believe this is true, because he was such a fun loving, energetic, and colorful person who could make everybody smile. You may hear about deaths in news, but when it happens to someone you know, it's just hard to bear. I wish that I could see him one more time, because, even if he wasn't my best friend, he was still as kind to me as he was to everyone else, and I will always appreciate that.  
****Please don't comment on this note, but do give him a moment of silence, because he does deserve that. God bless Jabu Summers, and hope that he is in a better place.**

**My next update will be March 5th, and that's a promise.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Me: Happy Birthday! Ya know, to someone in the world who's birthday is today...**

**Shizuku: Uh, I could be mistaken, but isn't today your birthday on March 5th?**

**Me: Huh? *checks calendar* Wow, how did I forget? **

**Shizuku: *face palm* Sometimes I wonder how I was created by such an idiotic mind...**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 15: How can you Tell?**

**Shizuku's POV:**

In retrospect, I slightly marveled on how the school was able to afford a trip like this for our class, but as they say, when something amazing happens that can barely be explained, just go along with it. Well, actually, now that I think about it I can't think of anybody who has said that before, but I guess it was still a fairly true statement.

"Uh, Shizuku?" I heard a voice behind me ask, and it sounded slightly concerned, but when I turned around, I saw that Daisuke wore an expression that resembled confusion more than anything else. And when _he _was confused, it made _me _slightly worry if he's okay.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked him in return, and he started to look down at a piece of paper, which by chance I was guessing was our room assignment, and I was really hoping that we weren't lost in the hotel, like he was on the plane, because I had actually wanted to just flop into the firm, untouched mattress in our room. You know why? Because it was about eleven o'clock at night, and I was still kind of tired from the ride over here, and the fact I had a trace of jet-leg didn't really benefit this situation at all.

"I didn't realize that we were sharing a room together..." Daisuke practically whispered, and I could have imagined it, but I think he looked a bit nervous. But hey, that's just how it looked to me.

"Didn't you read the form? Or pay attention during class?" I asked him, probably sounding quite harsh in tone, but what did it really matter? No offense to Daisuke, since he is an irreplaceable friend, but to miss out or ignore a factor like that was mostly careless, if not idiotic, on his part. But then again, who am I to judge people? This would just be the guy I would have to live with for about seven days, and I've already survived about that long with Seiji, so how much worse could it be?

"Uh, I really wasn't paying attention." He admitted quietly, so silent that I was barely able to hear him, but I still got the message.

"Well, does it bother you that much? Because we could see the teacher tomorrow about it." I told him, although, he didn't look as concerned as he did before, or as confused, but some sort of expression that I really couldn't describe. But since I could tell he was hesitating to respond, I took the paper from him, just because I was slightly desperate to recuperate to where we were suppose to be, and not wandering the halls while still lugging our luggage around.

I started trailing down the hall, and from the noise emanating from behind me, I could tell that he was following me as well, although he was surprisingly silent, and just that fact was starting to bother me.

_Did I say something wrong? _I couldn't help but wonder, because at certain times, I am never such if what I want to say _is _the appropriate thing to say. One of the reasons I tend to get nervous on occasion when speaking. Maybe I had insulted Daisuke without even knowing it... I wasn't trying to anyway, so I wouldn't want him to feel offended.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I had barely realized that I had been multi-tasking, and was now standing in front of one of the many doors in the floor's hallway, and just remembered that I had never received a key in order to unlock it. Although I felt a bit squeamish doing so, I reluctantly turned to Daisuke, who was looking at me as well.

"Um, by any chance would you happen to have the key card?" I questioned him, although for some reason, I felt regretful for doing so.

"Yeah, wait one second..." He replied, and started to dug into the right pocket in his jeans. I could tell that he seemed frustrated about getting it out, but just stood there in silence, and waited until he finally pulled the card out, and I noticed how he was claiming his silent, yet small victory. "Here you go!"

"Thanks!" I offered with a smile, and quickly slid the card through the electronic lock that was placed on the door (who knows why they chose to make things so complicated) and waited a couple of milliseconds until I saw the small green light, signaling it was unlocked.

I swung the door open to as wide as it could possibly go, yes, a bit unnecessary, but I was tired of carrying around my bag for so long, and the doorway needed to be completely open so that our luggage could actually _get into _the room in the first place. But I still slugged my bag over my shoulder somewhat effortlessly, to make it fit in the doorway.

After surveying the room for a second, I could see that there wasn't all that much to the main room except a small table, a couch, and a tv. Although, I could also see two other doors which were closed shut, one in which I was guessing would be the bathroom,and the other was probably a bedroom.

"Hey Dai..." I started to say while turning around, but stopped mid sentence when I saw him, struggling to bring his bag into the room, and fit it through the doorway, and I could tell by his actions that he was really giving it his all, put the bag would barely budge. _I should probably help him..._

I didn't really need to think much more as I tossed my own duffel to the ground, and helped Daisuke with his, and after a couple of seconds, we were both able to pull it through, as he thanked me for my help, and I just smiled at him, like I always had.

"So, let's just check out the rest of the room and make some sleeping arrangements?" I asked him, and he just nodded, and we both left our suitcases in the middle of the room, almost completely forgotten. And it looked like my hunches proved true when I opened the door on the left, and it revealed a room with two beds on the opposite side of each wall, which by deduction I would assume make the door on the right lead to a bathroom.

"Um, you can have the room to yourself, and I can take the couch..." I heard him offer softly, but in secret, I thought the idea was pretty preposterous, I mean, the room has two beds after all, so why would he want to sleep on the couch?

"Why don't we just share the room? There are two beds." I asked him plainly, although when I saw him face his face was a little pink, but I suppose it's just because it's pretty frigid here, even in the hotel. Being myself, I wasn't very cold, but I had also taken a trip to New York City during the Christmas season through late January. True, it was very enlightening, and quite the sight to see, but there was a vast number of snowstorms, and various times when the snow would pile up so high that you would barely be able to take one step, and the cars would be buried under three feet of snow. So in short, I'm used to the harsh weather.

"Are you sure?" He asked me, kinda with an uneasy look on his face, although I didn't really get what was bothering him...

"Yeah, and if you want to trade partners, we'll do it in the morning when we can find Sensei." I said without looking at him this time, bringing up our previous conversation, although we really never finished it. I didn't personally care what his decision he wanted to make, as long as I don't get stuck with some creep as a partner, I'll manage just fine.

"Uh, Shizuku, I was only a concerned before because... well..." He started festering with his words, as if thinking about which ones he should choose to say, and obviously having some difficulty in doing so, and there was a couple awkward seconds of silence as he was putting his thoughts together. But when he seemed to have everything together, he didn't look just as confused anymore, but still quite nervous.

"I wasn't sure if _you _would be okay with it..." He uttered, and his answer lightly came to a shock to me, because I never really expected his reasoning to come from his concern for me, but I also found it kind of idiotic as well, and made me kind of frustrated.

I lightly punched his arm, not enough to actually cause much harm, but apparently hard enough for him to clutch him arm in his small amount of pain. His reaction was the kind that you would probably expect if you were to randomly hit a friend, in which he gave a face that could be described as a cross between confusion, and awe. Otherwise could be defined as a "why the hell did you do that?" look.

"Why did you-"

"Because you're just too considerate!" I yelled at him, interrupting what his obvious sentence was going to be.

"What, what do you mean?" He expression even more startled than it previously was when I had hit him. I had to admit that my outburst had been a bit odd, but it was actually bothersome how kind my friend could be sometimes.

"I don't need you to worry about me, maybe you should think about yourself for a change." I muttered, a bitter look on my face, and went to the main room in order to retrieve my duffel bag, just in case I wouldn't trip on it in the morning or something. As I lifted it up, I could hear the shuffle of feet behind me, probably indicating that Daisuke was here to either see what I was doing, getting his own bag, or a combination of both.

He picked up his own black duffle bag with an amount of struggle, but in silence, and I figured that he would be able to handle it, and did not offer to assist him in carrying it. I wasn't planning on unpacking anything, but I did want to get into some more lose fitting clothes since I was still in a bit sleep deprived, even though I had slept for who knows how long on the plane. (I actually didn't know, because I barely ever pass out on flights or bus rides.) And I wasn't about to fall asleep in jeans anyway, even though I didn't wear extremely tight ones, they would still be a bit troublesome and uncomfortable.

I flopped it down onto the bed nearest to the window, which in a way was claiming it as mine, and zipped open the bag. It was a smart move that I placed a couple of grey sweats on the top of my things, and just took a pair of pants and a sweater out to change into.

I walked past Daisuke, who was still struggling with his bag... Really, what was in there that made it so heavy to him? It half puzzled me, but I walked straight into the bathroom, and took into the essence of the small hotel bathroom, which just smelt like soap and Lemon Pledge, too clean for my liking, but it didn't matter all that much.

I was looking in the mirror and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just the same face that I wore everyday, nothing new or exceptional. While I let out a sigh, and turned on the cold water in the sink, and once I removed my glasses, splashed some on my face so that I could attempt to stay awake long enough to climb into bed, and not just drop to the floor on the way there.

Quickly changing out of the casual day clothes I had previously been wearing, I practically threw on my substitute pajamas (my regular ones had short sleeves) and gathered up the ones I was no longer wearing, planning to just throw them back into the bag. I also removed the hair band that was keeping my hair back into a ponytail, and placed the band around my wrist.

Swinging the door open, I was alarmed by seeing Daisuke, who had his hand raised in a manner like he was going to knock on the door, right before I opened it.

"Um... I'm going to sleep Daisuke..." I told him, and he just nodded in response, stepping aside so I could get by. "If I were you, I would do the same thing..."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just getting changed for bed, so good night!" He said to me with one of his brightest smiles of the day, as I walked off into the room, flipping the lights off as I went inside, and I waited a brief moment for my eyes to adjust from the certain lack of light.

When they did, I tossed my clothes on top of my duffel, now far too lazy to actually stuff them inside, and removed the bag from the bed, onto the carpeted floor with a thump. I removed the covers and slowly climbed in, feeling the warm sensation of being able to relax, and I went out like a light.

* * *

**Dark's POV: **

I was waiting patiently as Daisuke was changing into a yellow t-shirt and some cargo pants in order to go to sleep, but what he didn't know was what he was going to find out soon, right after he got out of that bathroom.

He gathered up the disregarded clothes he had left on the floor, and left the small bathroom, making his way back into the bedroom he was suppose to be in. As soon as he entered, I noticed how the lights were all off, and apparently, so did he, because five seconds later, he tripped over his own bag, falling flat on his face onto the floor.

_"Nice move... you've got real coordination there Dai!" _I mocked him, and he just grumbled in defeat, pushing himself up after not necessarily enduring much pain, but suffering from massive fatigue. I knew this would be the best time to get things done, and I probably wouldn't get another chance like the one I have now, so I decided to go for it.

_"Hey, do you think I could take over from here Daisuke?" _I asked him, as he was placing his dirty clothes back into his bag, the very same one that had just caused him small pain, and me small amusement.

**_"What? No Dark, I'm too tired right now..." _**He started arguing, although he seemed to forget who won most of the daily arguments we could have with each other. Oh well, over time, maybe he just has to learn with more experience.

_"You can sleep! But just let me out? Besides, that was your part of the agreement, wasn't it? You let me out when I want within reason?" _I asked him, half demanding, but still half putting up an innocent act, to make him feel a bit guilty into letting me in control.

**_"...Well, right now isn't really within reason." _**He said after a couple of seconds, not really giving me the answer I was looking for, maybe if I just bothered him enough, he would allow it...

_"Come on... You can sleep, and I won't bother you, and I really feel like I need to stretch..." _I convinced him, and this time, he actually caved in, quicker than I would have thought, but I'll take it anyway!

It only took a matter of seconds before I was completely in control, and I felt that Daisuke was already sleeping, probably from the somewhat hectic day he had gone through, but I'm glad it wasn't me who went through all of that, it seemed like it would be far too boring for me.

"Okay, now to do what I came out for..." I said, pretty much just speaking to myself, but since I didn't see Shizuku budge, I would assume that she was already asleep. _Perfect..._

I silently walked over to her, and noticed how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. It wasn't quite like it was on the plane, since her hair was out and sprawled out over a good portion of the bed, personally, I don't see the point of her wearing it up all the time, since she looked additionally gorgeous with it down to it's full length.

Somewhat, I was feeling guilty, for what I was about to do, but this was the only way I could find out if she has any intentions, or will be a threat or not. Because if she is, I can't just let it go without warning Daisuke.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered to her softly, before pulling out a black feather, and placing my other hand on her forehead, chanting one of my spells in another language so old that no one could ever recall it, as I felt my spirit resinate with hers, and I felt myself travel into her mind, with all of her darkest memories and thoughts at my disposal, hoping that something in them would be able to give me some sort of clue.

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**A/N: Sorry it's kinda rushed, but I didn't have a lot of time this week to write, I hope you enjoyed it! Next time, Dark finds himself in a pretty tough situation, so stay tuned! (And make my birthday memorable by leaving reviews!)**


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel, but I do own an annoying older brother... Although I would trade him for the DN Angel cast any day...

Warning, this is a very long chapter. You have been warned...

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**Chapter 16: Can you Define Wrong?**

**Dark's POV:**

Honestly, I did feel a bit guilty for going through the girl's mind, but it was all for a good cause. I mean, there was still the slim possibility that Shizuku was just pretending to be Daisuke's friend... After all, she was able to tell that I was in Daisuke by just taking one look at us, if that doesn't spell out suspicious... then I should really start paying more attention during school.

"Let's see what she was doing before she met Daisuke..." I said to myself, before starting to search for some of her earlier memories, although I felt like I wasn't completely alone in here.

_Well, I guess since it is Shizuku's memories, her past self is here too, living in the memories._ I rationalized, seeing that it seemed like that was probably the most logical reason for it. There could be no way that Daisuke would have been dragged into here too, since her was already sleeping when I chanted the spell. I had to make sure of that, because if he had somehow found out about what I was doing, I bet he would be more than upset with me. Most likely going on and on about how I am invading her privacy, how impolite this is... You know, all that boring stuff.

"Who are you?" I heard a small voice say. Quickly, I spun around, only to see a young blonde girl with small pigtails in her hair. Wait, what would a cute little girl be doing in Shizuku's mind? I put on my best smile, and bent down to her height, although, I wasn't sure if that was possible, because even down on one knee, she was still looking up at me.

To say she looked peculiar would to be the least. I had to admit that that her hairstyle and face was fairly normal, but her dress wasn't something you would see everyday, unless you might be at a costume party, or at perhaps a very formal party.

This very small girl was wearing such a fancy dress, which was one of the most frilly and most lolita that I had ever seen before, it was a soft pink with very short sleeves, but white elbow long gloves hid most of her arms from view. If you had to describe how she looked, I would say she looked a lot like a small miniature princess.

"Well, I could ask you the same thing..." I told her sweetly, and started to slightly ruffle her hair, "My name is Dark, what's yours?"

"I'll tell you if you take your hand off of my head, Dark." She said blandly, although she had a sort of inquisitive look on her face, and I felt a little shocked by her behavior. Reluctantly, I removed my hand, and watched as she stared at me with a cocked head, as if I was some unknown species.

"You can call me Himeko, and I'm this much!" She said, while holding up four fingers in her right hand, and something was telling me that she couldn't count very high yet, and she really was quite small, and not just in size. _What would a four year old be doing in here anyway?_

"I'm here because I protect Her memories." She told me, as if my thoughts as I did with Daisuke. Wow, I guess that can get annoying, I should probably take note of that.

"Well, who is, 'her'?" I asked Himeko, at least I think that's her name, because that's what she said it was.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it Mr. Phantom? Can I call you that?" She asked while still looking at me. But, wait, where did she get 'Mr. Phantom' from? That title barely suits me! True, I may be an astounding phantom thief, but she couldn't know that. Right? She just met me after all, and I'm pretty sure you can't just tell what someone's career is just by a glance. Especially if that person guessing can't even count to four.

"I know what and who you are because you are in Her memories." Alright, irony, now I know how Daisuke really feels when I keep responding to his thought. And he's right, that _is _somewhat annoying.

"But, you still haven't answered my question, who is this 'she' you keep referring to?" I asked her once again, now getting slightly annoyed with her. Man, I'm not good with little kids.

"She is the reason I am here, and who's memories I protect," Himeko said, her eyes looking completely blank with boredom. "In short, she is the reason that I exist, and who's mind you are presently resigning inside."

"So, you're talking about Shizuku, right?" I asked her, I mean, if she just had said that in the first place, there would be a whole lot less of confusion for me. And why was this Himeko talking as if Shizuku was some sort of God to her or something? And I still don't understand why she was here. How could she protect Shizuku's memories?

"She doesn't like being labeled as a name, and here, She is my soul purpose. I try my best to do what she desires her mind to do. Although sometimes, I can't fulfill her requests right away."

"You sure like to talk, even though you can barely count." I told her bluntly, slightly glaring at her, she was just stalling my time. After all, if I didn't leave here in a given amount of hours, I may just be stuck in here for all eternity, just wandering around, having to listen to this little kid and her endless talking.

She just shrugged, and started walking past me, although I couldn't tell where in the world she was going. This whole place just looked like some sort of black void with a haze of purple that seemed to cling to your feet. Is this what other people's minds are like? Because I think that I like being in Daisuke's WAY better than this, because Shizuku's mind was giving me the chills.

Finally standing up, I turned around to see that Himeko was barely visible anymore, and was walking further into the abyss. Then, I realized something that she had mentioned in all of those pointless facts.

"Wait!" I yelled after her, causing her to look over her shoulder and stop her walking. "You said that you protect Shizuku's memories right? Well, could you show some of them to me?" I mean, if this girl could actually prove useful and help me out, then I wouldn't mind hanging around with her. I mean, sure she talked a lot, and seemed like a know-it-all, but I guess it would be possible to drown her small voice out.

"Why do you want to see those, Mr. Phantom?" Her curious voice asked me, oh great, she wants a reason for it. What should I say? Well, a little girl won't really know the huge difference because right and wrong, and if I make it sound like no harm will come from me, I think I can be pretty convincing.

"You see, I think that Shizuku has a sort of sad look in her eyes, and she doesn't always open up to people," I started to tell her, putting on my very best sympathy face, "So I want to understand her past better, just to see what she has gone through..." I said, and I could see something in Himeko's eyes that I took to be admiration, or probably something along those lines.

Sure that wasn't completely the truth, but it would play out well just the same.

A small smile crept up on the little blonde's face, although her glare she was shooting at me didn't look as sweet and innocent as the grin. And with the small twirl of her flamingo pink and frilly skirt, she was once again fully facing me. And was using her right hand to point at me, since I was now towering over her again, standing up at my full height.

"You're not a very good actor Mr. Phantom, I can tell when you're lying!" She confessed, although she was still quite cheerful. Why is she so happy? She knows I just tried to manipulate her, yet, she is so nice towards me, I just don't get her kind of thinking, although it does remind me a bit of Daisuke.

"But, tell you what! I'll let you see them!" Himeko said to me, and for a second, I was slightly surprised, but I did my best not to show it. Bad actor? Please, she need to get her facts straight.

"Although, I do have one condition! You have to carry me on your shoulder!"

"Oh? And why would you want that?" I asked her, because to me, it seemed like a very random request. The girl probably weighed about as much as one of my feathers, but it was still quite odd.

"Because I don't like walking, and you're really tall! I want to see what it's like being tall!" She exclaimed gleefully, and I couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was being. But without saying another word, I picked her up and sat her on my right shoulder, and I felt her hold onto my head for support.

"Wow! I like being able to see things from up here~!" She said in a sing-song voice, and I couldn't really understand what it was that made her all cheerful all of a sudden. Sure, she was pretty whimsical before, but she seemed to be enjoying herself, just because she was on my shoulder? _Man, what a strange kid..._

"You know, there isn't much to see anyway." I told her, and in response she just let out a giggle, like I had just told her some hilarious joke. Was I being funny to her? Because I wasn't trying to be.

"Silly Mr. Phantom! Just walk ahead! You wanted to see Her memories, right?" I nodded slowly, and she just pointed in the direction ahead, although all I saw was more of the ongoing black.

_Well, maybe some things are better seen in a child's eyes... _I thought quickly to myself, slightly wondering if she could still hear my thoughts like before, but either way, I slowly mad my way ahead, only to see that the darkness had run out, and only to be filled with a blindingly bright light which lit up a very long, and while hallway. There seemed to be some things on the walls that in a way resembled doors, but I was confused just the same.

"Okay! what memories would you like to see?" Himeko asked me, acting as if she was used to this hallway, and understood what it was, unlike myself, who felt completely clueless.

"Um, I'm not sure, as long as the memories are important ones that happened before she moved to Azumano..." I told her hesitantly, half hoping that she would actually know where we would be going, because sense of direction was not always one of my specialties. Unless I was escaping of course, but I didn't want to leave this place without any sort of clue.

"Kay! Move down four doors, and it would be the one on your right!"

"What would be the one on my right?" They all looked like the same type of door on the right side, although on the left, they looked slightly different. I'm not sure what it was that made them different, but there was definitely something.

"Her first important memory! That's why I'm this age, because I had to start protecting her memories when she was this much!" She said, now holding up her four fingers again to symbolize age. How can she know about so many other things like the layout of the mind, but not know how to count? It just didn't make sense.

Sighing, I walked up to the designated spot that Himeko had picked out, and was about to push it open, seeing there was no knob, and just when my hand had touched the cold surface, "WAIT!" The little girl right next to my ear squealed, sounding like she was afraid of something.

"I forget to tell you!"

"Forgot to tell me what? Is there some kind of dragon behind each door I need to defeat or something?" I yelled back at her a little irritated now, mainly because she was really slowing me down, I mean, was she purposely trying to stall me?

"Huh? I'm still afraid of dragons..." She said quietly, and I barely made out the small whimper on her face, like I had really upset her or something, but she made sure that look on her didn't last long. "No! I was going to ask you if you remember that black room!"

"You mean the one we were just inside a couple minutes ago? Yeah, I remember it."

"Wellll..." She started to say, slightly dragging out her words, "That room represents what she is presently thinking about, and when she is asleep, it's black like that, but when she has a dream, you see her dream!" Himeko declared matter-of-factly. At least she had cleared up my earlier question, but now left me with new ones. Somehow, this little girl reminded me of Shizuku, except she was louder, and not as mysterious.

"But what does that have to do with anything right now?" I asked her, and she just shrugged in response.

"I just wanted you to know that any memories we open will result in Her to have dreams about them."

I sighed once again, seeing that she was just bringing up details that I had no interest in. So, Shizuku gets reminded about a couple childhood memories, so what? I don't see what the fuss might be about. I extended my left arm while using my right arm to keep Himeko in place on my shoulder, and pushed on the door.

But it wouldn't budge. I used more effort to get it open, but it still remained shut. Getting frustrated, I was about to just kick it down until I heard an all familiar giggling in my right ear.

"Aww, Mr. Phantom isn't strong enough to open the door? Maybe I could help!" Himeko offered, making me even more irritable, but I started to take her off my shoulder to put her on the ground. Let's just see if she can open it, if I'm not strong enough, there's no way this little pipsqueak is.

"WAAAHHH!" She cried when I was holding her mid-air, just what was her problem? She wanted to help, why the hell is she screaming? "You said you would carry me! Don't put me on the floor! You promised!" She started to wail, and small tears were starting to form in her eyes, and she was already whimpering again. So I put her back on my shoulder just to get her to shut up, because she was starting to give me a major headache!

"Well, how are you going to open the door now?" I asked her, since she had immediately settled down once she was back on my shoulder. Like I said before, strange kid.

"Just lean in so I can reach!" She instructed me, and reluctantly, I did as she asked. And as soon as she touched the door, it swung open with ease. For a moment, I was dumbfounded, and a bit annoyed that she could open it so easily. _It's probably just because she's the so-called guardian of here, so of course she would be able to open the doors so easily. _I rationalized with myself, before going ahead into what I would assume would be one of Shizuku's early memories.

When we walked through the door, we were somewhere that oddly resembled some sort of yard, and I could barely make out two small figures. One was wearing a black dress, and the other was wearing some sort of semi-formal suit. Getting closer to the two of them, I realized that they were both young kids with blonde hair, and they were both staring at some sort of rock in front of them, and the small girl in the dress was holding onto the young boy's arm.

This sort of eerie feeling clung to me, like something terrible had happened, or had already happened, but whatever it was, I could tell it wasn't good.

"See? Important memory!" I heard Himeko whisper, and for a second before that I had forgotten that she was actually here with me. As I walked closer than before, I finally realized what that rock that I saw before truly was, and noticed something important about the girl's appearance.

I took Himeko off of my shoulder, which at first caused her to start crying and screaming again, but I didn't really care at the moment. What I did care about was why she looked exactly like the little girl in this memory. Same blonde hair in high but small pigtails, same blue eyes, both wearing some sort of dress. (Although Himeko's was more frilly and pink than the other's simple and black one.)

"Hey Seiji..." I heard the little girl say to the boy in a hushed tone, and when she started talking, Himeko shut up and started to listen as well. Just to make sure she kept quiet, I put her on my left shoulder this time, because the other one was slightly tired from her previous weight on it.

"Yeah, Himeko?" The boy said to the girl, now prying his eyes off of the tombstone he was previously looking at. Wait, did he just call her...

"I'm not going to see Mommy again, am I?" The small and disappointed girl asked, and I was starting to feel a sharp sting of guilt strike into me for some odd reason. But I was barely following what had been happening, I mean, these were suppose to be Shizuku's memories, right?

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you, trust me, you'll never be alone!" The one I assumed to be called Seiji said, trying to fill the girl with false enthusiasm, and putting on a fake smile. Seiji... Where have I heard that name before? I know it sounds familiar to me somehow. Did Shizuku ever mention a Seiji?

"Come on, let's get out of here." The Himeko on my shoulder said, and I quickly nodded in agreement. Being around all this depression was really starting to get to me, and I didn't really like the feeling.

As we walked out of the room of the past memory, I decided it was time for Himeko to set things straight. Why was she in that memory? Is this even Shizuku's mind? Because it doesn't seem like these memories belong to her!

"Now listen Himeko, why was that you in that memory? I thought that these memories belong to Shizuku..."

"They do! But I told you, She doesn't like being labeled by names, but back in the memories in which you wish to see, ones before she moved to Azumano, Her name was 'Himeko'. And I am a younger version of Her."

"But why are you the guardian of her memories?"

"Because! When She was this much..." Himeko started and was about to hold up her fingers again.

"Yeah, yeah, when she was four, I get it, can you just get on with it?" I snapped at her, and she just nodded, and was slightly more depressed than before.

"Okay, well, when she was... four, that event that you just saw changed her life, and made her very upset. So at that time, she needed a conscience to help her, so I appeared." Himeko started to explain, and she immediately perked up, and gave me one of her biggest smiles.

"She was like me before that event, but now she is different. Now she uses a different conscious than me, because she out grew me."

"But, how can you out grow a conscious ? And how are you even physical?" This crazy place was making even less sense to me by the minute, and god damn it was annoying to try and get answers out of this girl, who ever she is. It's like a never ending cycle with her, answer one question, and it would just lead to another one.

She was silent for a moment, and positioned herself so that she was looking me in the eyes. But suddenly, that expression of utter confusion came across her face, and she pouted and glared at me, as if she was mad about something.

"How did you get purple hair and eyes?" She asked me, looking really upset, although I was just plain confused. Why does this kid just ask the most random questions imaginable, yet will barely answer mine? "Oh, wait! At an angle, they look just the tiniest bit yellow!" She said, shifting her position back and forth while looking at my eyes. What the hell is she talking about?

"Purple, yellow, purple, yellow, purple, yellow!" She started singing, moving back and forth into different positions on my shoulder.**(1)**

"Will you knock it off?" I snapped at her, finally losing what little patience I had left after being what seemed endless hours listening to her go on and on about absolutely meaningless things. Was there some other conscious that I could talk to in here? She had said that Shizuku had another one, right? So maybe the other one would be, no, the other conscious would ABSOLUTELY be far more helpful than little Himeko would be. The last thing that I need when I'm on a tight schedule is to babysit some random and annoying little girl. Besides, the other one would more than likely be much older, and I think I could tolerate with that.

"You know, the others don't talk much, and when they do, they usually aren't very nice." Himeko said, not sounding nearly as cheerful as before. And once again, it seemed like she had a strange ability to tell exactly what I was thinking. "They're like that voice inside your head that tells you bad things about yourself that aren't always true. Like, telling a girl she's ugly, or fat, but in reality, they are really beautiful." She started to explain.

"But then again, that's just Luminia who say the nasty things, Suki takes care of Her emotions."

"Is it possible for me to met them? And if you don't mind me asking, how did you all get these names if you are just part of Shizuku's conscious ?"

"Well, if you want to talk to the other girls, they would probably be in the dream room right now, so you could start walking that way." She said, pointing in the direction in which we had come from before, in that strange and eerie room. And reluctantly, I started to walk back like she had said. At least she was being helpful, although I don't really understand how any of this could be useful right now. Yet, maybe it would be possible that I could still accomplish what I came in here in the first place. Since I still had no idea if she even knew anything about her family's past.

I kept walking in the same direction, and only heard the heavy sound of my own footsteps I was walking back down the empty, brightly lit hallway. It had somehow seemed longer than it was before, but that could have just been my imagination. As we finally reached the end of the hallway, I stepped through, expecting to see the same black and slightly colorless room as before. (There had been a purple haze, so I guess that had counted as color.) But instead, the old room had appeared to be replaced by somewhere entirely different, which was just as brightly lit as the previous hallway.

"Oh! So those two _were _creating a dream!" Himeko cheered energetically, as I started to observe the current room, which was a sort of elaborate ball room, filled with people. Although the two that stood out the most to me were two girls that were leaning against a wall in the room. One was noticeably younger than the other people in the room, and the one standing next to her looked almost exactly like Shizuku, except for one small difference...

"Luminia! Suki! Over here!" Himeko yelled to them from on top of my shoulder, slightly damaging my ear, but obviously catching the two girls attention, seeing that they both turned their heads in our direction, and started to walk towards us as well. The younger girl was in front of the somewhat Shizuku look alike with very short hair, and wasn't wearing her glasses. Although the younger one had hair that was slightly longer than the one behind her, and in my eyes, it looked like all three of these girls looked very similar to each other, although they were all obviously different ages.

"Hi Lulumi!" Himeko squealed, addressing the younger one, who had a nasty and intimidating look on her face. My best guess would be that she was about 13, and she was wearing a type of purple gothic top with black skinny jeans, and kept on looking at me with a deadly glare, but nodded in acknowledgement of Himeko calling her that name. I was guessing that this was the Luminia that was in charge of saying nasty things to Shizuku. And by default, the other one must have been Suki, who looked 18, the same age as Shizuku was now, and was acting very timid, mostly hiding behind Luminia.

"Well, who is this?" Luminia asked Himeko, obviously referring to me, and I could practically hear the venom dripping from every word that she said. I kinda wonder why she hates me so much, she barely knows me!

"T-That's Dark Mousy, he lives and resigns in the same body of Daisuke Niwa, one of Her best friends, he is half of the Black Wings, and a very shady character..." Suki said quietly to Luminia, and was looking at the ground, acting very nervous.

"Oh? That Phantom thief? It makes me wonder what he's doing in here, interrupting Her dream... You were probably the one that opened that horrid memory, didn't you? Do you know how much trouble we had to go through? We had to make a brand new dream to make sure that she would forget about it, you have some real nerve mister!" She started yelling at me, inching closer with her icy glare, and honestly, I was starting to feel a bit intimidated by this girl, and I was kind of surprised that not all the other people in the room were looking at her now, but instead, they just kept on dancing.

Getting a closer look at the other people in the room, which I was now starting to understand was Shizuku's dream, I noticed a couple familiar faces, and a head with spiky red hair.

"Are you even listening to me? Himeko! Get off that low life's shoulder this instant!" Luminia started shouting, and looked even more furious than before, but I just decided it would be best to ignore her rage, except Himeko instantly obeyed her, and hopped down from my shoulder and landed swiftly with both of her feet on the ground.

"So, you both made this dream?" I asked her, keeping calm, and put on my signature smirk, although my calm attitude seemed to annoy Luminia even more, if that was even possible.

"Yes, it was to keep Her happy, but now that I think about it, why are you here anyway?" She asked, folding her arms, I was a little surprised that she asked _why _I was here instead of _how _I was here, but she was probably curious about that too.

"I'm here to find out if Shizuku knows anything about her family's past, do any of you know the answer to that?" I asked, acting completely serious, which caused Luminia to look a little shocked at my sudden change of behavior, but she was still looking at me in a cruel way.

"Well, we only know what she knows, and I refuse to answer you, so... SUKI!" She yelled, calling the other, although she was only a foot away. The sound of the girl yelling made the girl Suki cringe, but stepped forward. She still looked really nervous, and was just staring at the ground, I could imagine that she was intimidated by Luminia, and in a way, this one reminded me a bit of what Shizuku was like when I had first met her.

Just as she was about to start to speak, I pulled her onto the dance floor with all the other people in the dream, which earned me a surprised look from her, and another nasty one from Luminia, not that it much mattered to me.

"It would be boring to just stand and talk, why not dance?" I explained to her, and she just gave me that "are your crazy?" look, but I started dancing with her anyway.

"So, you were interested in knowing how we received our names, and how we are materialized, yes?" Suki asked me, sounding just a bit indefinite, but still in that not cocky, but know it all way too, just like Shizuku. It was starting to get to me that all of these girls seemed like that they're possibly replicas of Shizuku at different ages, Suki being the closest to 18, although, in a way, she looked a bit older.

"Yes, that's right, because I've only been inside one other person's mind before, and not all of this happens in his head, I can tell you that."

"Well, every mind is different, and every soul is equally unique, and as for Her, we are here to protect the memories and thoughts of Her mind from invaders."

"Well, why the need for protection?" I asked rather cheerfully, because being able to comprehend this whole situation was a bit overwhelming, and didn't make much sense to me.

"Tell me, do you know anything about the human immune system?" She asked me, and was quickly able to read the slightly confused look on my face as a no. "Basically..." She started to explain, "Every time a new invader enters the body, the immune system creates these things called antibodies which help protect them if that specific invader returns."

"So, what does this have to do with why you are here?" I politely asked her. "Because frankly, I don't see much of a connection between the two." And as soon as I had said that, it caused her to slightly giggle.

"The connection being, that Her mind works the same way, after one invader enters, Her mind is prepared in case the same invader comes back, henceforth our half existence." I was about to ask her what she meant by half, but she had beaten me to the point. "And by half, I mean we are only materialized at certain times, and our existence is limited by what happens to her. So outside of her mind, we're not actually real."

"But doesn't all that mean that someone has invaded her mind before?" I asked, sounding a bit more serious than before, while Suki slowly nodded.

"Actually, it happened twice with the same invader." She said, slightly intriguing me, but mostly causing me to be quite curious. I wonder who would be able to do something like that? True, I was here now, but I wasn't exactly human... and even for me, this can turn out to be a troublesome task to complete just once. But twice? What would anyone else have to gain from traveling into her mind? I knew my own intentions, but I couldn't really imagine anyone else's.

"Do you know anything about this previous invader?" And she shook her head no, slightly disappointing me, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

"All we really know is that at the times the invader entered, She was four, and the second time She was thirteen. Henceforth our ages."

"But then, you look older than Shizuku does now, and your hair is shorter than hers..." I stated, although one may say that my statement was formed as a question.

"Well, aren't you a curious person." Suki said sarcastically, and pretended to roll her eyes. "If you must know, I appear to be eighteen, the same age She is now. I am like this with shortened hair because we were able to predict that the same invader might return, and at the time, She will look like this." She explained, although most of the explanations I've been getting recently were just adding more questions for me to ask.

"If you want to compare, She's just over there." Suki said, and pointed in the direction behind me. And sure enough, Shizuku was about ten feet away... How did I miss that? "She can't see us, so we can get as close as we want." I heard her say, and I also saw her walking toward Shizuku.

Just like all the other girls inside the dream, she was wearing a somewhat formal dress as well. And taking a closer look, I saw a bright smile across her face, and somehow, it seemed warmer than any other that other that I've seen from her before. As I started to get closer, I almost instantly froze on the spot at what I was seeing. Is she dancing with... Creepy?

"Wait, Suki... You're in charge of keeping control of Shizuku's emotions, right?" I asked her, which caused her to nod in response to my question. "Then can you tell me... Does... DOES SHIZUKU HAVE A CRUSH ON CREEPY?" I practically shouted out in hysteria and disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but who is 'Creepy'?" She quizzed me in confusion, and I found it a bit ironic for a second that _she _was asking the questions now.

"That kid, over there... The one with blue hair... Dancing with Shizuku in this weird dream thing..." I barely managed to say, still slightly in shock at the possibility that those two could like each other, or even that Shizuku would have the even slightest crush on him. She should be dreaming about dancing with _ME! _Okay, that sounded just a little weird, but still, why chose Creepy over me?

"Yes, I guess that you can call it a crush, but it certainly has awaken some new emotions in Her..." Suki said rather blandly, although I felt like it couldn't even be true, but chose to keep my cool. _So, those two are like a secret couple huh? I sort of wonder what Krad would react to that... _I thought briefly for a moment, but then quickly pushed it out of my head, because I knew that something like that wouldn't end well.

"I'm sorry to intrude..." Suki said to me, breaking me even more away from my previous idea. "But isn't Krad that other half of the Black Wings? I mean, that's the one that you're thinking about, correct?" Okay, now I was absolutely positive that these girls were able to read my mind, but wait. Did she just say Black Wings?

"How do you know about the Black Wings?" I asked her, because she had just reminded me about the reason why I had come in here in the first place.

"Well, because She knows about it as well... Actually, it was mainly what She had been thinking about Her first day in Azumano..." I knew it! She had been hiding something, so my guess was right! "Although... She has almost completely forgotten about the subject by this point, except the fact that She recently found that Satoshi is a Hikari... The fact surely shocked her."

"Can you also tell me if she knows anything about any family history that she might have?" I asked hopefully, because if Shizuku knew about the Black Wings, it would be almost definite that she would know something about the possibility that she might have magic. Suki started to stare off for a moment, as if deeply thinking of some distant memory or a slight detail, but quickly came back to face me.

"I see... You see Her as a possible threat you your tamer, and you want to see if she will be able to use magic to bring harm to either of you?" HOW DO THEY DO THAT? Are they purposely invading my thoughts? "Actually, yes. Yes we are, but only to see your true intentions, so you are not a threat." She said normally, and offered a small smile in return, although something about it seemed forced, although that could just be my opinion. But I kind of understood her concept, because it seemed like they were looking after the one they cared about. Even though these girls aren't actual beings, I could find it easy to relate to them.

"You see, a person's mind is more capable of knowledge than the person may actually become aware to, and is even able to tell the future," Suki started to explain, half making this whole speech sound like a huge bore-yourself-to-death science lecture. "...and the mind sometimes gives hints towards the future, which is occasionally shown to the person in their dreams. We also keep record of every event that has ever happened in Her life, from birth, and we will continue to collect these memories until her death... But, this isn't quite answering your question, is it?"

"No, no it is not." I said blandly, because I was starting to become fed up, although I refused to completely show it.

"All I will tell you that in her current state, She has less than any intention to harm anyone, well perhaps Her brother... But that's besides the point!" suki said gleefully, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that the other two consciouses started to walk towards we.

"Hey, punk rocker, thief, what ever you are..." Luminia started to say, "Isn't it time for you to get your sorry butt out of here?" She said in the most bitter voice I had ever heard, although she refused to make eye contact with me. I guess Shizuku wasn't the most social person when she was younger... I mean, she's not all that better now, but a whole lot damn nicer. "You better watch your thoughts buddy!" She then screamed at me. Oh right, they could do that here.

"I'll leave if you answer two questions, because I still have some time." I said specifically to Luminia, which, was partly true, although, if I hold off much longer, getting out of here will be a tight squeeze.

"Make. Me." She intimidated, staring daggers right into me, but I didn't think backing down to a girl that barely existed fitted my personality.

"Just remember, the sooner you answer, the sooner I can leave..." I said causally, my signature smirk on my face, because from the way that her expression changed slightly, I could tell that this seemed like an offer she could barely refuse. Why she hated my guts? Who could tell? But she obviously did, and made no sign to hide it.

"Fine!" She agreed, looking slightly like she was defeated, "But just for your information, I'm only answering your questions because I feel like it..." She spat out quickly.

"Whatever you want to say to save your pride." I told her, only just to make her more enraged. It didn't really matter if I had said it out loud, or thought it in my mind, so there wasn't really any shame in saying it. "First, what did Suki mean by Shizuku wanting to harm her brother... I though Shizuku didn't have any living relatives."

"Fool!" She quickly accused me, causing me to feel slightly confused. "You really don't know anything, but that should be expected... Anyway, yes, She does have a living relative, which is Her brother Seiji, although She is not very fond of him at times." There it was, that name again... Seiji. I know I had heard that name, when had Shizuku mentioned it?

"But wait..." I started to say, I knew that Seiji was a familiar name, but I didn't know from where.

"No waiting! Next question! The sooner you're out of here, the better."

"Fine!" I said, quite annoyed at her, and as I opened my mouth to ask my main question, the dream around us started to turn black, while silver sparks started to crackle in the darkness. What was happening?

"Great, you got me into a really bad mood... Meaning the dream is turning into a nightmare." Luminia said while slightly pouting with her still bitter expression plastered on her face. Since when _wasn't _in a bad mood? "The nightmare won't affect us, but it would probably turn into a problem with the stability of her emotions." Suki said, and then looked as if she started thinking deeply about something, like how she could fix things.

"What's the question?" Luminia asked, more demanding than before, as lightning shot across the darkened sky, and the scenery turned into a dark forest, the trees giving off an uneasy presence as they loomed over me. Was Luminia doing all of this?

"Does Shizuku have magic..." I blurted out, stating it more as a phrase than a question, but not that it seemed to matter. But that statement awarded me shocked looks from all three of the girls, but it didn't matter to me.

"What do you mean by that." Luminia confronted me, looking like she would rip my head off at any second, but she also looked as if something was paining her. A downpour started to fall, and lightning and thunder cracked overhead, and I saw some strange type of black and dark purplish haunted house in the distance, and the faint figure that resembled Shizuku entering the house. I half wondered what this nightmare was about. Although, that wasn't my business.

"Exactly what you heard. I need to know that one detail, and I'll leave, for good, I'll never be that invader that returns." I said, a confident look on my face, although, this nightmare was giving me the chills, and I bet I wasn't even seeing the worst of it.

"Don't worry, the worst that's happening is that two figments of her imagination are locking her in a room in that house with a blindfold on, except the blindfold would have a hole in it, just enough to see the two creatures lure her with their sweets and temptations of darkness." **(2)** Suki said blandly to me, as if this happened often. Now I _really_ feel the urge to get out of this place as soon as possible.

"Back to the question..." Luminia said, slightly scowling at Suki this time, and honestly it felt kinda good she was doing it to someone besides me, although her gaze was quick to flicker back in my direction. "Because you have other places to be, I'll keep this short and sweet in a way that you could possibly understand." She said, acting like I was some complete idiot to her.

"She has no magical power or core base at the moment, and she can not obtain powers from her own soul alone. But it would be possible for Her to obtain powers from an outside source, although the powers would become unstable the more She would use them, the closer to insanity and a total meltdown She would come to." And then I felt something tugging at my leg, and I realized it was Himeko. I kind of forgot that she was even here.

"In short, She has no powers now, and if She somehow got some, that would be bad." She said, simplifying things for me, which caused me to grin once again at her childish expression.

"Now, get the hell out!" I heard an all familiar hatred dripping voice yell at me, before realizing that I had only about a single minute to get out of this place before I would actually be stuck here. And that would upset more people than just Luminia.

Quickly, I spread my own wings, seeing that Wiz couldn't have possibly have come here with me, seeing he was still somewhere out of Shizuku's mind. As hundreds of feathers exploded out of my back to form my wings, I noticed the lack of pain, and how it had barely hurt at all.

"Thanks." Was the last thing I said before flying out as fast as I could possibly soar, seconds ticking away toward my escape. _Just a little further... _I told myself as I shot out of that place with barely a millisecond to spare in the suspense, as I felt myself seem to reawaken in the body Daisuke and I shared, although I was in control, seeing how Dai was still sleeping, and I was in control of his body when I entered her mind.

I realized that my hand was still placed on her forehead, and was about to remove it, before something caught my eye. _That must be some horrific nightmare... _I thought to myself, before wiping the tears off of Shizuku's cheeks, and started to feel a sting of guilt come over me, since it was partly my fault that caused her to have the nightmare in the first place. And in the end, it was just to find out to find that she really was the nice girl that Dai had tried so hard to become friends with.

"I'm sorry..." I softly whispered into her ear. "For everything."

* * *

A/N: *grumble* Stupid glitches... *grumble* Erasing over a third of my chapter... Having to write it all over... Sorry it took so long, I would have been done a while ago but fanfiction had that log in glitch, so yeah. Satoshi will be in the next chapter! I promise! (I miss him too)

**(1) **This got me thinking, I mean, for those who have seen the manga covers, on some, Dark's eyes look kinda yellow... and it bothers me! 0.o

**(2) **I was listening to "Trick and Treat" a bunch while writing this, along with "Hot Cocoa" (Which is the procrastinating song)


	18. Chapter 17

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Please forgive me Daisuke..." I said, mainly to myself, seeing that he wasn't able to hear me. As I ripped the blankets off of him, but to on avail, he didn't budge, just as I expected, but that's why I had come up with another method to wake him up after his somewhat endless slumber.

I took the cold cloth that I was holding, and removed the ice cube that I was keeping in there. With one hand, I held the back of the sleeping Dai's shirt, and with the other hand, dropped the ice down his shirt. As soon as I did, ducked down to the floor, as if I was setting off a bomb.

Within a matter of seconds, he shot out of bed with a shocked expression on his face, and started looking around the room. At that point, I lifted my head up from the floor, and he automatically spotted me. Although, he didn't look as angry that I thought he would be. It was more like he was very confused... And just kept staring at me until he reached down his shirt and pulled out a slightly melted ice cube that I recently put in there.

"Good morning!" I said sheepishly, before fully standing up and on an instinct, smoothed out the skirt that I was wearing. And suddenly, I found the sight of my black snow boots very interesting. Or, I was just kind of nervous of what Dai's reaction would be on my strange method for waking him up.

"Shizuku...?" He said hesitantly, which caused me to look back up with a stupid smile on my face. "Is there any reason why you put ice down my back?" He asked very calmly, before finally climbing out of bed.

"Well... ummm... you weren't waking up... and breakfast already started a couple minutes ago..." I told him, and he started scratching his head in embarrassment, although I don't know why.

"You didn't have to wake me up... I mean, if you hungry, you could have gone down without me."

"What? Oh, I couldn't do that..." I told him, "Because honestly, I couldn't care less about breakfast, although I thought it might bother you if you missed a meal..." Which was true, because the way I was raised, there wasn't much food around, so I never needed much to eat.

"Okay, but still, couldn't you have at least done something a little less drastic that putting ice down my back?" He asked, and I shook my head no, seeing that I had already tried every other trick that I knew. Which mainly just involved shaking him, and screaming very loudly, although I don't think other people would have appreciated hearing a girl scream at her room mate at 7 in the morning.

"How about you go get changed, and I'll wait in the hall outside the room." I told him, and he nodded in response.

_A few minutes of standing in the hall later..._

"Alright, I'm ready!" Daisuke said after emerging from the room, and I just smiled as we walked down to breakfast together. And in a chance of conversation, I told him how I was trying to wake him up for about ten minutes before I was resorted to using the ice.

"Oh really? Wow, I don't know why I was so tired..." He told me, followed by a half-hearted laugh, and I couldn't held myself from giggling as well.

"I don't know, maybe Dark transformed last night and made your body really tired..." I joked, although, as soon as I said that, his smile faded, and he looked more serious. _Did I say something wrong?_

"Now that you mention it, Dark did say something about transforming last night, although I had no idea what he did..." And at that moment, we had arrived in the small dining hall that the school had reserved just for the students. I was actually kind of glad, because this gave the both of us a reason to drop the recent subject. And in front of the dining area, there were two people waiting for us.

"Well you two sure are late this morning... Just what exactly were you doing up there?" Riku teased, although I thought it was best if Daisuke answered instead of me, because I wasn't completely sure if she was joking or not.

"Oh, I just overslept, and Shizuku was waiting for me. Riku, Satoshi, were you two waiting for us?" He asked, addressing the two of them who just nodded. And it wasn't long until Riku pulled Daisuke to their own table, which left me standing awkwardly with Satoshi, until he took my hand and led me over to another empty table, where I sat down with him.

"Do you want anything? Because I can go and get it for you." He asked me, but I just barely shook my head, since I really didn't feel the least bit hungry.

"I'm just going to get some water..." I told him, and I started to get up, but he quickly sat me back down, and gave me a look that said, 'I'll get it for you', so I reluctantly stayed at the table when he went over to the spread out on the other side of the room. I thought it was really kind of him to get it for me, although I don't see what was the big deal about me getting up to get my own glass of water.

"Shizuku, I have a question..." I heard someone ask me from behind, and when I turned around, I saw a somewhat concerned Risa staring me down. She quickly took Satoshi's seat and looked at me worriedly, and I waited to hear her question. "So, what's going on between you and Satoshi? Are you two dating or something?" She asked me, and for a second, I just stared at her with slightly shocked eyes, and I felt a bit of warmth rise to my cheeks. I coughed a little bit, but answered her just the same.

"Um, I-I'm not sure what gave you that intention, but no, we aren't dating..." I managed to choke out, but she didn't seem very convinced, and after what seemed like forever of her just staring at me with my still slightly shocked expression, her face lit up and she started squealing in what seemed to be delight. _What is going on?_

"You like him, don't you!" She silently screamed, slamming her hands on the table which gave me the most confused and slightly embarrassed look that I've ever had in my life. It's not like she had said it loud enough for anyone else to hear, but it was still enough to make me slightly fluster.

"W-What are you talking about?" I asked, probably sounding quite scared, because I really was. Because I have been able to observe in the time I have been here, Risa can tend to be a bit... how would I put it? Over dramatic about matters, and that kind of over excitement did not settle very well with me, and it sort of made me feel uneasy.

"You know what, I bet the two of you make a super cute couple!"

"Risa please..." I tried to persuade her, but her mind was set up in this fantasy that I couldn't interupt.

"The two of you aren't very social, but that just means you are more meant for each other! Like Mr. Dark and I will be together some day!" Oh, there she goes again, at least maybe she will go on a rant abnout Phantom Dark instead, because I really wouldn't want to hear much more about "me and Satoshi" as she was calling it.

"I know! After breakfast, you are going to come shopping with me, Riku, adn Ayumi! it will be fun! And I'll help give you a whole new look!"

"I'm not sure I want a new look..." I told her blandly, but of course she wasn't listening to me, and then she went around the table and hugged me, which really made me tense up, it was just a small one around my shoulders, and she was still giggling. It felt really wierd with her hugging me out of nowhere, but I took a deep breath and realized that it wasn't too bad.

"See you later!" She squealed once again, and ran in a different direction, and passed Satoshi, who was walking back here with a tray, and stopped for a split second to watch the running away Risa.

"Was there anything that she wanted?" He asked me as he sat down, and handed me a glass of water, I was about to answer but then he also handed me a plate that contained half a waffel.

"I told you, I really didn't want anything. I wasn't really hungry..."

"You should eat something, it's not healthy if you don't." I could see his point, but I was about to protest back, "Anyway, have you seen the waffels? There is no possible way I could be able to finish one." He said with a slight smile, so I thought it would be best to just eat it.

"I'm only eating this because I want to!" I retorted, and tore a small piece of it off with my fork, and stuffed it into my mouth. I hardly doubted that I would eat more than half of it, because to me, having breakfast in the morning just seems so... strange. But I heard a faint noise of chuckling from Satoshi, before he bit into his own half. "What's so funny?" I asked him inbetween small bites that I ripped with my fork, and he gave me a type of mischievious smirk.

"I don't see why you have to be so defensive all the time." He told me, and for some unknown reason, I felt the smallest amount of heat rise to my cheeks, and I looked down at my plate, avoiding eye contact. And as I stared down at that white plate and munched on pieces of dough, what Risa was saying before kept replaying over and over in my head. I had convinced myself that I liked Satoshi, because no other answer seemed to fit on how I was feeling about him. It was queer to describe an unknown feeling as love, but whenevr he held me close, I always knew that I didn't want him to let go. And even if I just thought about it, my heart was throbing inside my chest, and I felt afraid that he could possibly hear my heart beat, although the thought would seem highly unlikely.

"Shizuku, I was wondering... If you would be interested in visiting some of the local museums today with Daisuke and myself." Satoshi suddenly asked me, and I started t feel bad that Risa had already decided that i would spend a day with her and the other girls. Mainly because I wanted so very much to walk through the museums with the two of them.

_A commitment is a commitment, whether spoken or silent..._ I told myself, because I was very tempted to tell Risa that I had other plans and couldn't go, but then again, she did ask me first...

"I-I'm sorry Satoshi, but Risa already asked me to spend the day with her." I told him, and looked back down at the plate, which still held about three fourths of the so-called breakfast, and it was then when I finally decided that I couldn't eat another bite of it. I felt a certain sickness in my stomach, although I knew it wasn't just from eating food, because I knew that i probably just let Satoshi down.

"Oh, that's alright. I understand how Risa can be, we can do it another time this week." When he said that, I had a sudden urge to smile, and I was about to tell him how I was grateful, but there always had to be something standing in my way...

"Shizuku, let's get going!" I heard Risa say before she started to practically drag me along with her, and I was just barely able to tell Satoshi goodbye before she pulled me out of the hotel and over to where Riku and Ayumi were already standing.

"Hey Shizuku, so you're joining us today?" Riku asked me, and I nodded, ad at which point I was able to break the grasp that Risa had placed around my right arm. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.

* * *

**Risa's POV:**

I could barely believe that Shizuku agreed to come along with us after all, and I couldn't wait to go and take her shopping! I remember on her first day that we went to the mall, but all she did was look at a book store. And now, I had a chance to help her, and I was going to take it! Because I wanted to be happy like I am with Mr. Dark, after all, Riku seems to like her, so why shouldn't I?

"Okay! First of all, we are all going to a dress store! I mean, at the end of the week there is that big dance right?" I said, and the three of them agreed. I saw Shizuku pull out a tourist map and started looking for the nearest store. Within a matter of seconds, she pointed in a single direction, and the rest of us followed her. After a couple of blocks, we arrived at a nice little boutique, and I decided that this would do.

I'm not sure how much time we spent there, but it seemed like hours. It was a lot of fun to go shopping with other people once in a while. Ayumi and Riku used most of their time pointing out rediculous looking dresses to make fun of them and laughed. I was mostly looking for my own dress, even though I wasn't sure if I would even go to the dance or not. It would be kind of embarrassing to show up without a date, and the only guy I would want to go with would be Mr. Dark, although I don't even think that he knows that I'm here.

During shopping, I took a quick glance at Shizuku, who was just quietly looking through the racks, looking a dress for about 5 seconds, then moving on to the next one. She didn't really seem enthusiastic, but she was smiling most of the time, so that's good I guess.

For most of the day, we traveled to a bunch of different stores, but in the end, none of us bought a thing. It wasn't really a successful shopping day, but it was still fun none the less, and I'm almost certain that everyone had a good time.

"Hey, how about we head back to the hotel? It's really freezing out here..." Riku sugguested, and the three of us quickly agreed, but after about ten steps, I heard Shizuku gasp, we all turned to her, and she looked like she was frantically searching her pockets.

"Sorry, I think I left something in the last store, I'll be right back, but can you guys wait over there?" She asked, and was pointing to a part of the mountain's edge that was guarded by a railing. I nodded in response, and she ran back from the way we came.

The three of us left rushed over to the side of the cliff, and our boots crunched in the snow that covered the ground. The sun was starting to set, and we all had to admit that it looked really pretty, and it was nice that is was just us girls, and I didn't even see anyone else around. But it was a really nice feeling just standing there, and I think we did just stay in that same spot for about five minutes while we waited for Shizuku to come back.

I started to hear footsteps behind us, so I turned around because I thought it would be Shizuku, but instead it was some guys would looked like they were in their early twenties or something. I don't know if it was the way they were smiling, or how Riku was glaring, but just those guys coming near us gave me an uneasy feeling.

"Hey, you girls look like you're from outta town... How'd you like to spend some time with a couple of locals?" One of them said, while the other put his arms around Ayumi's and my shoulders, and we both squealed in fear. The guy's breath smelled like he had just gotten out of a bar, and he didn't really feel like he would be letting the two of us go anytime soon. The other one was walking up to Riku, who was telling him off, and screaming at him how the two of them should leave us alone, although I don't think he was listening to a word she was saying, and kept walking closer to her.

I was really scared, and Mr. Dark is still in Azumano, he wouldn't be able to save us, although I knew if he were here, I just knew he would rescue us. But suddenly, I heard the guy that was holding Ayumi and I groan, and he let us go, holding his head in pain. When I looked behind him, I saw Shizuku with a snowball in her hand, and she chucked it at him, this time hitting him square in the face, and he fell to the ground.

"You two should go get help..." She said, refering to me and Ayumi, and the two of us started to run, although I felt as the other guy roughly grabbed my arm.

"Where do you think you're go-" He didn't finish his sentence as Riku threw a snowball this time, hitting him on the back, and as soon as his grip lossened, I ran. I don't know what told me which direction to run, but Ayumi and I ran as fast as we could, and when we got near the museum, the two of us couldn't believe our luck, as we saw Daisuke and Satoshi there. By the time we got near them, the two of them were looking at us weird, as I tried to tell them what happened.

"Riku and Shizuku... I think they're in trouble!" Ayumi said before I could manage to. And I swear, I had never seen the two of them run so fast, Satoshi getting farther than Daisuke, but it also make me think at the same time... Does Satoshi like Shizuku?

* * *

**Shizuku POV: **

The guy that Riku hit with a snowball got up, and watched Risa run away. And when he looked back at Riku, I swear I knew that kind of rage, I had seen it before with my father. It was the kind of firey eyes that he always shot and me right before he would hit me, or worse.

I could of called it paranoid, or perhaps an instinct that I had, but I felt that he was hiding something in his pocket, the same pocket that he had reached into as he started to walk towards Riku. I felt scared, and although she didn't look like it, I could tell that she was too.

My body started working on its own, and before I knew it, I was running over to her, and pushed her out of the way as the guy pulled the switch kinfe out and sliced my arm instead of Riku.

I felt the pain in an instant, and fell onto the snow with a thud, as a worried Riku was hovering over me. Unlike myself, she was crying, as I held my wound, as crimson blood poured out of it, the deep gash starting to numb out into extreme pain. I wanted to cry with her, but I couldn't, the pain couldn't make me shead tears. The snow around me was quickly turning from white to red as Riku started sobbing, and I was burying my face in the ice to try and ignore my arm, but I was losing blood too fast, and too much of it.

I heard Riku saying my name, but she sounded so distant, and I gripped onto the cut more as the blood poured out, and I did the only thing I thought would be right. I smiled at her, because I had a feeling she wanted that, and I knew that it could be very possible that I would die on this very spot. I mean, accidents kill people, like my father when he crashed the car when I was with him. It would have been right if I had died right along side him, but I had lived for another four years, and that seemed like enough for me.

I was starting to pass out, although I wanted to spend just a little more time with my friends, because I had given up the hope of living, because I could tell that my blood wouldn't stop running out, that was why Father never gave me large cuts, because he wanted me to live. But this time, it was too much, I was going to die, and I was glad that I could save Riku, and I was lucky to have so many friends, and even what I had called a crush.

And as I looked though my eyes for what I believed would be my last time, I could have sworn I saw a flash of blue.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, first of all, I really hope you guys could review, because my friend says that my writing is too long and boring for anyone to pay attention to, that and she said that she could get more reviews than me because her story is better than mine, and I want to prove her wrong. DX And yay for summer! Expect updates~ :D


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I don't own DN Angel... and I can't think of anything witty or humorous to put here so... on with the story... I guess

I don't personally like this chapter, because I think there is too much dialogue, but whatever...

* * *

**Chapter 18: I'm the New Cancer**

As the two boys ran up the snow covered hill it seemed that the only sound that could be heard was the snow crunching beneath their boots. Satoshi was trailing far ahead of Daisuke, although he seemed to be slowing down as he reached the top, allowing Daisuke to finally catch up to him, both of them panting heavily from the long sprint.

Although Satoshi witnessed it first, both of their eyes settled on a sobbing Riku who was kneeling near Shizuku, who was collapsed on what seemed like dark red snow.

"Riku? What happened?" Daisuke asked right away, although Satoshi didn't stop to ask about questions in which the answers would be meaningless at the moment, he just knew that Shizuku had been hurt, and it was clearly visible that she was still loosing blood at a slow rate.

"Where is the nearest hospital?" He asked while carefully picking up Shizuku, making note to not touch the deep gash that was covered by the sleeve of her coat which was now crimson instead of the original badge color. He could had sworn that they had passed one on the way from the hotel to the museum, but when his mind was racing like this, it was hard to remember the slightest direction.

"I-I think we passed one a couple blocks that way..." Daisuke managed to choke out while pointing somewhere in the west, and as soon as he did, Satoshi made a mad dash in the same direction.

The sun had already disappeared over the horizon as various streetlights started to flicker on, although not one soul occupied the streets that Satoshi, as his hallow footsteps echoed back at him, as if mocking him that he wasn't going fast enough.

He silently prayed that there actually was a hospital nearby, because he knew that he couldn't keep sprinting like this forever, and only had enough energy for a few more blocks, at best. And after that thought, he stopped for a second to catch his breath, which escaped his lips as puffs of crystalized clouds. His heart was pumping so hard that he could hear it echoing in his ears.

At that moment, he felt something wet in between his fingers and felt somewhat sickened when he saw that it was Shizuku's blood. But there was one thing that he didn't understand, and that was how it was still pouring out at this rate, since it should have stopped at least by now.

_Wait, I have to focus... _He thought, and tried his hardest to recall his surroundings, and after a few moments, suddenly remembered where the local hospital, and dashed across the street, despite the red light and the car a couple blocks away and heading in his direction. He nearly dodged it and received a mouthful of vulgar language from the driver, but barely listened.

Racing across the street, he finally reached a hospital, and within a close proximity slowed his pace just the slightest as the automatic doors opened. In the lobby, there was only one nurse at the desk who was preoccupied by reading some sort of fashion magazine, and didn't notice him at first until he ran up to her and basically shouted with what little breath he had left.

"Excuse me ma'am, but my friend has been hurt." He said, the words coming out quickly, as she finally lifted her eyes from the article about Jessica from Girl's Generation**(1)** and gasped when she saw Shizuku's arm. In a matter of seconds, she had said something into a telephone that Satoshi couldn't quite make out and a gernie was pushed into the lobby by another nurse.

"Take her to room 3A and get Dr. Lee to look at this girl immediately." She told the second nurse, who in response nodded and took Shizuku away from Satoshi before he could say anything, and was wheeled down a hallway in a blink of an eye.

"Young man..." The nurse said, now addressing him directly. "I'm going to need you to help fill out some information on your friend here while the doctor is with her." And he silently nodded as she took out a small amount of paperwork and started to ask for general information.

* * *

**Satoshi's POV:**

"And you are sure that you don't know the cause of her injury?" The nurse asked me for what seemed the fifth time, and once again I shook my head 'no', although I would have very much have liked to know what had actually happened to Shizuku. My best guess would be that Riku would know, since she was a witness to the whole thing.

"Will I be able to see her soon?" I asked, and the nurse as she review the papers that I just helped her fill out, and hummed a bit to herself with uncertainty. She was about to answer when she looked at my hands and gasped a little bit.

"Oh my! You have blood on you, the restrooms are through that door, and when you come back, there is a waiting room where you may stay until the doctor has finished with her." She told me, which cause my eyes to subconsciously wander to my hands, which in fact, had an amount of dried blood that I had forgotten about since now. I didn't utter another word to her as I followed her instructions to the washroom where I ran the cold water over my fingers in an attempt to wash off the blood that wasn't even my own. A small shiver went down my spine just looking at the liquid, thinking about how she was able to get such an injury, and wondering if it was enough to even kill her.

**_Master Satoshi, perhaps it would not be a great shame to witness this girl die this way. _**Krad said, but I decided against listening to him, allowing him to get inside my thoughts was a common occurance, but right now was a time when I especially didn't want to hear the sound of his voice. It was hard to put up a mental block against my other half, and like most times, it proved to be unaffective.

**_Ignore me you may, but you realize that I am right, a death like this would be better for that girl..." _**He continued on, and no one would be able to just ignore the type of things he was saying, as I gripped the fossit handle in aggravation for a split second before shutting off the water, causing complete silence in the room. I didn't stay in there long and quickly dried my hands on the thin brown paper wipes and tossed it into the trash bin.

Leaving the restroom, I took note that the hospital was mostly quiet, and seemed to be mostly empty except for a few stray nurses and doctors roaming the hallways. None of them paid any attention to me when I sat down in the empty waiting room. And somehow, the fact that it was so silent here caused me to slightly worry. Perhaps since this is a quiet town, they don't have all the neccissary equipment that Shizuku might need, she looked and felt like she was on the brink of death as it was, and I had no idea if they even had what it is cabaple of keeping her alive.

**_She would have died eventually, sooner is better than later in my own opinion."_** And with that comment, I felt my patience begin to finally snap with him.

"I don't want your opinion!" I half-yelled out loud, and silently swore in my head that he had actually gotten to me, and my heartbeat picked up speed and my chest tightened up, causing my breathing to become shallow.

"Satoshi?" I heard an all too familiar voice say, and I picked up my head to see Daisuke, who was comforting a still shaken-up Riku. The two of them sat in the seats across from me, and I looked at the door, somewhat wondering if some others would come in as well, but no one else did.

"Risa and Ayumi went to go tell Sensei what happened..." Daisuke said, and I was starting to feel a bit uncomfertable with the awkward silence that was between the three of two of them looked terribly worried, and had expressions on my face that could somewhat describe what I was feeling. I saw Riku clasp her hands together and lean her forhead against them, as if she was doing some sort of silent prayer.

I still had no idea what had happened to cause the injury, but I could tell that Riku wasn't in any position right now to talk about it right now. When the time came she would have to tell the doctor what had happened, at least, I was pretty such she would be able to do that much. The ticking of a small wall clock echoed throughout the room, and made the mood of the whole situation seem even worse, if that was possible.

"Excuse me..." A new voice said as a man in a white coat entered the room. "The three of you must be friends of Ms... Sakishima, correct?" He said while looking down at his clipboard, and we all nodded in response to his question. He made the motion with his hand in which to follow him, so was got up from our seats and walked down the hallway and into an elevator.

"I'm not the doctor who is in charge of her, but I was told to give you the information concerning your friend." He said, and frequently looked at the report he held in his hands. "She had quite a large gash in her arm, which is going to require some stitches..."

"But will she be alright?" Riku asked, and the doctor gave an uncertain sigh, which concidering had much blood she had lost, was not a good sign.

"It's hard to say, she has a rare blood type, O negative, that we don't have in this hospital, and when she looses that much blood, that means her body isn't getting enough oxygen. We have her set up to an oxygen mask and have been able to stop most of her bleeding, but there is no guarantee..." He said, but almost anything in that message was even close to reassuring. We followed the doctor off of the elevator, and Daisuke looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when we saw another man in a doctor's jacket.

"Which one of you was the one who brought Ms. Sakishima to the hospital?" He asked, and I stepped forward without saying another word. He made the motion for me to follow him into a room, while Daisuke and Riku remained the hall with the other doctor.

"I am Doctor Lee, and I was asked to observe Ms. Sakishima's injury..." He said before we entered one of the rooms, and inside was Shizuku laying down on the bed with an oxygen mask on, and a thick layer of bandages wrapped around her arm. It was on my instinct to rush up to the bed. She seemed to be breathing deeper than before, which could serve as a good sign that she was still breathing.

I didn't bother asking if she was going to be alright, because frankly, I knew that the answer wasn't going to be definite, and since it wasn't going to be, I wouldn't want to hear it.

"Might I ask you, was her arm still bleeding quite a bit when you carried her here?" He asked quite plainly, as it was not a big deal, but I felt a lump start to grow in my throat which refrained me from speaking, so I nodded my head instead.

"I see... Then I may not be incorrect to assume that she has hemophilia**(2)**, it would be quite a rare case, but it does look like the most probable answer." He said while studying the clipboard in his hand a bit longer, jotting down a couple words occasionally, but I had a sort of feeling that he didn't even want to give me the time of day.

And that was the least kind of feeling that I would want to get around the person who is suppose to help Shizuku live.

"You are doing everything you can to help her... right?" I asked inquizitively, and in response, he seemed to scowl at me for a second before looking back at the clipboard, not even giving me an I observed him for a minute, and felt that something about him was a bit familiar, but I knew that I could have never met him before. Something about his black hair seemed rather fake to me, now that I took time to notice, but something about his structure made me feel as if I should know who he was.

After a minute of just standing there without him saying another word to me, I felt that things had gotten a bit too awkward for my liking. So I silently slipped out into the hallway where Daisuke are Riku were waiting, and I knew that they were wondering what was going on, so they didn't even have to ask. But frankly, I didn't have anything to tell them, so I just sat down in one of the folding chairs in the hall.

We all sat in silence, which was what seemed like the common thing today. But really, there was nothing to be said at a time like this. And whatever this pain in my chest was, I knew that I hated it. There was no real way to describe it, except that it felt like worry, that something else would go wrong.

**_Why is it that you feel such emotions for this girl, Master Satoshi?_** And that was one question that I didn't want to answer him. Probably because, I wasn't even quite sure of it myself. She had started off as nothing special, just a girl who seemed to keep far too many secrets, and a lack of social skills at that...

**_You see? Why, she is positively weak, completely unable to defend herself. _**He said, which for once caught my attention, not to any point that Krad may be trying to make me see, but the previous question that I had almost forgot about.

"How did she get hurt?" I asked out loud, but was looking straight at the wall more than anything else, although I had a feeling that Riku knew that the question was meant for her more than anyone else.

"I-It was my fault..." She stuttered to say, and her voice croaked with a type of sadness that I couldn't really classify any further than guilt. "These guys came up to Risa, Ayumi and me, and Shizuku knocked one of them out with a snowball, but the other one was about to stab me in the chest when... S-she pushed me."

_She practically risked her life to save Riku? _I thought to myself, clearly if she didn't then Riku would without a doubt died immediately, but then again, pushing her out of the way was almost the same result for standing in Riku's place for her... I couldn't understand why she would do something as dangerous as that, I just couldn't.

"You kids should get back to where ever you came from..." Doctor Lee said, emerging from Shizuku's room, and Daisuke and Riku immediately followed his orders and stood up from their chairs. Unlike myself, who remained seated just the way I was. There was no option of leaving Shizuku behind at this hospital, especially with a doctor who seemed to like giving me the cold shoulder.

"I'm staying, you guys can go." I said, although my focus was really on Lee, who was giving me a type of death glare which burned with hatred. He went back into the room without another word, while Daisuke and Riku took the elevator back downstairs, leaving me alone in the empty hallway.

* * *

Feeling a sharp pain on my head, I jolted out of my chair in shock, only to meet the face of the scowling doctor. I had no idea why he would hate me this much, since we had clearly never met before, but I could tell that he didn't like me, whatever the cause may be. Maybe I just didn't look like the right type of person to him, or it was what I was wearing, not that I was wearing anything in particular that would make anyone mad, but you never know.

"Hey Romeo, it's time to wake up." He said, and it finally came to my attention that I had indeed fallen asleep in the hallway, which was strange, because I didn't remember even dosing off, but I apparently did. It felt like he hit me in the head with the clipboard that never seemed to leave his hand, and I could still feel a stinging pain in the back of my head.

"Your girlfriend should be waking up soon, and you want to be there when she does, right?" He told me more than asked, speaking as if it were a rhetorical question. And even through the way he phrased it, I felt a sigh of relief come over me, that she would be alright after all.

"Just make sure that she takes these pills two times a day, and within about two weeks, get those stitches removed from her arm." He said blandly, and handed me a small white bag of what presumably held the prescription of which he was referring to. He went back into the room, and following his previous orders, I followed him inside.

He gathered a jacket and a couple other things that he placed into a bag, and started to go outside, where I was standing in the doorway, somewhat confused by these actions.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, just to receive an annoyed sigh in reply. I would swear that I had never met a more cruel doctor in my life, although he was able to get the job done, as he so claims. My eyes wandered over to Shizuku on the bed, whose arm was now in a white sling and covered with bandages.

"I plan on going home, my work here is done. You may take Ms. Sakishima back to your hotel whenever she is up to it." He told me before brushing past me and out of the room, somewhat still leaving me in a state of confusion. I mean, when you think about it, how could he just leave right now? Just incase something else had happened and Shizuku wasn't alright.

And on top of that, a number of things about this doctor started to seem somewhat shifty in my eyes. Rushing out of the room and into the hallway, I saw that Doctor Lee was already stepping onto the elevator, in which case I ran to interrogate if not just for ten seconds long.

"Why is it that you seem to hate me, I think it's my right to know that much." I said quickly, and held open the elevator door so that it wouldn't be going anywhere. There was nowhere else for him to go, so he would have to answer.

"I have no respect for you, boy." He said with a scowl, and marched right up in front of me, in which case I had to look up, since he was much taller than myself. In all honesty, I was feeling a bit intimidated, but I kept a blank face.

"When she wakes up, she's going to think that you saved her, that much I know... But just let me enlighten you, that all that you were capable of doing was to bring her here so that someone else could help her." He told me bitterly, obviously holding no word on his mind unspoken.

"All I have left to say..." At which time he loosen my grip on the door, forcing me to release it. "Is that Ms. Shizuku would deserve better than the likes of yourself." Was Doctor Lee's final words before the elevator door closed, leaving me on the other side.

On any other case, I would have ran down a stairwell to beat him to the lobby, where I would refuse to let our conversation end on such a mysterious note, but I knew that there was something much more important that needed my attention at the moment.

Walking back to the room, I decided not to let a breath of the experience that I just had with this doctor be known to Shizuku, because that may have caused her to worry, and that would be one of the worst things that should happen to her now. I clenched the white bag in my hand even tighter, and entered the room for what I hoped would be one last time.

Opening the door, I was quite surprised by what I saw. Shizuku was clearly conscious once more, and was trying to get up from the hospital bed, rubbing her forehead and looking around through slightly squinted eyes. She sat on the bed for about a couple second before attempting to walk a couple steps, only to start to stumble.

I quickly reacted and balanced her out before she fell down, grabbing her waist as I felt her lean on me for some support. She then turned around and looked at me, something in her expression seemed somewhat like mixed emotions, one of them was clearly shock, but I wasn't able to identify anything other than that.

"S-Satoshi?" She asked in a stuttered whisper, and I could feel her slightly shaking. "Where am I?"

Before answering her, I sat Shizuku down on the bed, then taking a place right next to her. It then came to my attention that she was only wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and looked as if she was very cold. I made no hesitation to wrap my own jacket around her shoulders, and when she tried to take it off, I held it there by placing my hands on her shoulders.

"You're in the hospital... Do you remember anything of what happened?" And although it took a couple seconds for what seemed like her to gather her thoughts, she finally nodded, but then let her eyes drop to the floor to avoid mine.

"Why... did you do that?" I slowly asked her, and tried to forget about everything else. I just wanted to focus on her for this one moment, when she is so fragile and needs someone with her.

"I-I don't know." Was the first thing she said, and although her eyes looked so depressed, she didn't cry. "I just got scared, and I felt like I had to do something..."

I took hold of her right hand, and looked at it for a moment, how it looked quite small compared to my own. Except, when I looked closer, I could see a faint outline of something across her wrist. Pulling her arm out of my jacket, I felt my eyes widen at the multiple scars that occupied her arm, and just found myself staring at it in sheer silence. Once Shizuku noticed what I was looking at, she made an attempt to quickly pull her arm back, but I caught her wrist before she could.

"What are these?" I asked her, obviously they were scars, but they looked like they had been done by a knife. And considering how they were close to almost fading, it was clear that they weren't recent.

"T-They're from years ago... A-An accident that happened, and I just happen to heal very slowly..." And I could feel her shaking even more than before, as if she was afraid of me.

"Shizuku, did you know you have hemophilia? These cuts from this 'accident' could have easily killed you like today." And based on the shocked look on her face, I could tell that she obviously had no idea of her disease. Very softly, her head landed on my chest, and I could feel her softly sobbing into it, probably from realizing how close she could have been from dying whenever she had been cut by whatever caused her scars.

"Thank you..." She said quietly, still burying her head into my sweater, and I placed my hand on top of her head, holding her just a bit closer.

"For what?" I supposed that she meant for telling her, but I wasn't quite sure what she exactly meant, since those two words seemed to be so very vague. And I wouldn't want to get a wrong message from her.

"For saving me, you carried me to the hospital, didn't you?" And for once, I was at a loss for words, mainly because of the cruel words that Doctor Lee had said to me, and how part of it was already true. I hated that man, but I knew it that he did speak the truth. Maybe I wasn't the right type of person for Shizuku, and yes, I know that she does deserve better.

I decided to be spontaneous, to pretend that everything was perfect, and to just take a risk. I grasped her chin, pulling her away from my now slightly damp sweater, and wiped at her wet cheek with my thumb. I started to lean in, and she started to do the same, except when our lips were barely touching, she started to look at the ground and back away. So I closed the small amount of space between us, pressing my lips against her soft ones, and she placed her hand on the back of my head, pulling me closer.

We separated just a second afterward, and Shizuku was blushing deeply, both her cheeks were bright red with heat, and my heart seemed to be speeding up to a dangerously high rate. I took a deep breath in order to lower it a bit.

**_How pathetic you can be, wanting a girl as helpless as her..._** Krad said, putting me more in a mood of anger more than anything else, and it would be a moment like this where I would want him to disappear more than ever. That I could actually give Shizuku the amount of attention and compassion that she deserves, but I couldn't.

"S-Should we go back to the hotel?" Shizuku stuttered and I simply nodded my head. I knew that she would still need help walking since it would be a while for her to fully recover, but I personally didn't mind giving her an extra little help. And yet, her question made me think of another of my own...

_How did that doctor know we were staying at a hotel?_

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I know the title makes no sense, I was listening to the song "There's a Good Reason Why these Tables are Numbered Honey You Just Haven't thought of It Yet" by Panic! at the Disco. NO MORE SUMMER SCHOOL FOR ME! **  
(1) **SNSD forever! Jessicaaaa~ :DDD**  
****(2) **Hemophilia is a disease where it takes a very long time for blood to clot and stop flowing from a open wound. It also may cause internal bleeding, usually around the joints. It usually only in affect against males, but there are some very rare cases where females have these defective genes.

Those who don't review will have their names written in my Death Note ^.^


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I don't own... *starts swaying on bed*

Shizuku: Um... why are you swaying back and forth?

Me: I-I'm not intending too... Maybe I'm just tired, or... *mini perfumes start to fall off of the top shelf* AH! IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE! TAKE COVER, **TAKE COVER! ***hides under desk*

Shizuku: ...um... It stopped, already... and only lasted 20 seconds at best. But still, you don't own DN Angel

* * *

**Chapter 19: Wake Up Call**

**Daisuke's POV: **

"Are you sure you don't want to go outside?" I asked Shizuku one more time, and once again she shook her head no. Even though it was five days after she had gotten hurt, she refused to take even one step outside of the hotel. I wasn't sure if she was concerned about safety or what, but practically every time I come I see her on the bed or sofa either reading or watching television. Her arm was out of the sling already, since she said in was not necessary, but she still only had limited movement with her left arm.

Hearing a knock on the door, I excused myself from the bedroom and went to see who it was. Although I didn't check to see who it was, I automatically opened the door to whoever was on the other side.

"Good morning!" Riku said with a cheery smile on her face, and not far behind her was Risa, who has the exact same grin as her sister. "So, where's Shizuku?"

"You see about that..." I started to say, but I wasn't really sure what I could say. "She really doesn't want to go outside today, you know, cold weather and everything..." I told them, starting to make things up to defend Shizuku's case. Because I knew that the two of them had been trying to spend time with her every single day, and the two of them would have practically dragged her out of the room if I wasn't standing in their way.

"Really? Well maybe we should talk to her separately." Riku said before lightly pushing me out of the room and Risa closing the door behind the two of them. Trying to react quickly, I sprang for the door, which had already automatically locked, and since I didn't really want to make it into a habit of picking the locks of doors that I couldn't get into, I decided to just remain in the hall. That and, I left the key card on top of the table before I answered the door.

Pressing my ear against the door to see if I could hear anything, I was starting to pick up on a conversation between the three girls, and even though listening to it through the door the volume was faint, I could tell that there was a large amount of yelling taking place.

"You've been in here too long!" I recognized the voice of Riku yelling, without a single doubt at Shizuku. "You are going outside, even if we have to force you!" Was the last real words that I was able to here, but afterwards came a couple of light yelps and screams, which upon hearing I slowly backed away from the door. Honestly, I was slightly scared of what was going on in there, but another part of me just doesn't want to know altogether.

"Daisuke..." I heard someone call from down the hall, and I turned my head to see Satoshi just exiting out of his own room, but stopped next to me when he heard the noise inside my own. "What's going on in there?" He asked, but since I didn't have an answer, I simply shrugged my shoulders. We both stood there in awkward silence for a couple minutes when we realized that the yelling from inside had finally stopped, and not a few mere seconds later, the door opened to reveal Riku and Risa dragging out a rather grumpy Shizuku.

"Just leave me be!" She practically yelled while trying to escape from the two girls, but to no avail was she obviously going anywhere. But honestly, she had seen better days, considering that her hair had looked as if it was messed up from struggling, her clothes were wrinkled and sloppily putted on, and she had terrible dark circles under her eyes which were quite noticeable to anyone. And when she finally looked down and noticed it herself, and how Satoshi and I were just in front of her and staring at her in this condition, she started to struggle even more to try to get back into the room.

"Can I at least fix my hair? If you haven't noticed, you kind of made me a mess while getting me dressed..." She half whispered to the two of them, in which they both agreed and allowed her to go back into the room, under a five minute time limit of course.

And within about four and a half minutes gone by, Riku and Risa were about to barge into the room again to see if she was ready when Shizuku came out before they could. Her hair was now brushed and her clothes smoothed out so that she looked far more presentable than before, and more like her regular self, despite that she wasn't wearing her glasses. I didn't know how she was able to make the bags under her eyes disappear, but it really didn't matter.

**_Hey, maybe you should spend the day with Riku, just so you remember who are interested in! _**Dark teased once again, and this time, a small blush came across my face at the comment, only because of the suggestion of spending the day with Riku. It wasn't a bad idea, but I wouldn't want to leave the three of them behind.

"Yo! Everyone's here! Cool!" I heard Takeshi yell from across the hall, and he dashed his way over to us with what looked like a newspaper in his hand. Go figure.

"Hey! Have you guys hear about the mashap at the hospital in this town?" He asked us with a some-what serious face, and all of us just shook our heads no. "Well, apparently, this doctor was impersonated when he was told by someone to go home early. Turns out, the only reason why people noticed was because that doctor impersonater saved a girl's life or something that night." He said, and showed us the front page of the paper where there was a picture of a man with black hair and glasses was being interviewed.

"Does it give the name of the doctor?" Satoshi asked him, and after scanning the paper for a couple of more seconds, nodded his head.

"Yeah, he name was... er... Doctor Kai Xing Lee, why?" He asked in response, and Satoshi didn't really say anything else to him. Somehow, the name did sound a bit familiar to me, but I had no idea where, so I decided to let it go.

"Hey, Risa, you can come with me to the hospital to get the scoop! Like, you can distract people while I question the guy!" And even though she was already shaking her head no furiously, Risa was already dragged away with Takeshi to presumably go to the hospital.

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Hey..." I heard Riku whisper to me when everyone else was focused on Takeshi dragging Risa down the hall, and I gave her my attention. "Do you think you and Satoshi could hang out? Because I kinda want to have some time alone with Daisuke, if you don't mind..."

"Oh, I don't mind." I told her, and she thanked me before pulling me into a friendly hug. But, since she was putting pressure on my arm, I almost yelped in pain, but managed to keep it in. And only seconds later did Riku grab Daisuke's arm and practically rushed him down the hall without him even saying a word.

So, if you have been doing the math, this left Satoshi and I standing awkwardly together in the middle of the hallway. I started to look at the ground and shuffled my feet, since I really didn't know what to say, since I hadn't really spoken to Satoshi since the day I had gotten hurt and... when... other things happened.

"Shall we?" He asked me, suddenly snapping my attention back to him. Even though I had no idea what he was referring to, I decided that I wasn't really in the mood to ask questions, and simply nodded my head. I felt him fit his hand into mine as he started to pull me down the hall and towards the elevator. It only took a couple seconds for it to arrive, but it somehow felt much longer than that while just standing in silence.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me while we both stepped into the elevator, and I took it as a feeble attempt to make small talk, but I also felt that he actually cared, and wasn't just using the injury as an excuse to talk.

"I'm well... The pain is all gone, although I can't really move my left arm very well. The nerves must not be fully healed yet..." I said a bit quietly while avoiding eye contact, mainly because I was trying to hide a blush that was emerging on my face. It was strange how just standing with him would do this to me, but I just couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. As pathetic as it might sound, it was my first kiss... and I found that I liked it, a lot.

As the elevator doors opened, I felt his pull me across the lobby, although I didn't know why he was, since I was completely capable of walking by myself. Half of me wanted to tell him that I could, but the other half couldn't seem to find the words that I wanted to say. So, he continued to guide me wherever he was planning to take me, which I was still oblivious to.

"Um, where are you taking me?" I finally asked him while we were walking side by side along one of the sidewalks, and he simply just chuckled at my question.

"You honestly don't know?" He asked, answering my question with just another question, and I lightly shook my head no, which just resulted in more of his chuckling. I found it a bit cute when he did that, but also quite irksome. Half expecting that he would answer my question anyway, I didn't say another word on the subject.

"Well... I guess I'll keep it a surprise then." He told me before sliding my scarf off of my neck, and I slightly jumped back from the sudden movement. My heart was starting to speed up again, even though I had no idea what he was planning to do. I watched as he walked behind me and before I knew it, my vision was blocked by what felt like my cotton scarf being wrapped around my head.

I couldn't help smile at this, and even when I attempted to remove it, I felt him stop me, and start to drag me along once again. Honestly, I was a bit concerned in case I accidently ran into a pole or something along those lines, but also, it felt so weird not being able to see where you were going. Not being able to tell distance, I could never tell how many blocks we were walking, or which direction we were going, so my mind became very frazzled.

"A-Are we there yet?" I choked out, but instead of an answer, I felt something soft on my cheek, barely touching the corner of my lips, and I felt a very intense heat rise to my cheeks realizing that he was kissing me. And just seconds later, I felt the scarf fall from my eyes and around my neck were it belonged. Automatically, my hand connected with the cheek he had just kissed, and I started to feel more nervous than ever.

"What was that for?" I asked innocently, although I desperately wanted to hide how red my cheeks had become. It almost made me insane how embarrassed he made me, but I simply couldn't help it.

"Why do I need a reason? We're here, by the way." Satoshi told me, which caused me to look behind him, to see a building that looked a bit impressive in stature. "Don't you remember? We were going to go to the museum, and the week is almost over anyway."

And now that I thought about it, I actually did remember him saying something along those lines a couple days ago, but I completely forgotten about it until now. He motioned for the two of us to go inside, so I gladly did. Inside, I found that the basic layout was quite modern, but majority of the paintings seemed to be old fashioned, and looked individually unique.

I always enjoyed looking at art, but it also reminded me of things that made me feel like a nervous reck. And I also knew that sooner or later I would have to bring up those things into conversation. I stole a glance at Satoshi, who was looking at the painting in front of us, and realized that I really did care about him, and every time I saw him my heartbeat speeds up. So shouldn't I be able to talk about this one thing? No matter how complicated and painful it might be?

Looking around the exhibit hall, I made sure that no one else was around, because I wouldn't want anyone else to hear anything. But, I also knew, that if I talked about it, there was a risk that he might never talk to me again, because I was a filthy liar in a way, and the truth seemed to be eating me alive.

"Satoshi, I need to tell you something." I quickly said, and almost soon regretted I did. "I-I um... can't read because I don't have my glasses! Can you read what this plaque says?" I told him while pointing to the writing next to the painting, and although he seemed a bit confused, he read it out loud to me anyway, and I thought how close a call that was. True, I wasn't lying because I honestly couldn't read it, but I really didn't care one bit what the plaque said, and I wasn't even listening when he read it to me.

"Now, what did you really want to say?" He asked, and I felt my eyes widen at the fact that he could actually tell that it was just an act. I could tell that he looked completely serious, and I also knew that I had no choice but to come out and say it.

"I-I... er.. um... I... know that you are a Hikari..." I said as quietly as I possibly could, and halved hoped that he didn't hear what I said, but I knew that he had, and his reaction was what I feared most at the moment.

"How... could you know that?" He asked me, which was a much calmer and more rationalized response than I had expected, although, I didn't want to tell him about Seiji, I personally didn't want anyone to know about me having a brother, so I knew I would have to lie.

"I've always known... about everything... including your curse."

I could tell that he was at a loss for words, and I was preparing myself for the worst possible reaction, that he didn't want to see me anymore, and I was a jerk for hiding that I knew. But, he kept a very straight face, so I had no idea what was coming.

"If you know... aren't you afraid of getting hurt when being with me?" And of course I knew what he meant, that his so-called angelic persona that lived inside him would probably want to hurt me, I knew all of that about the Hikari's. That their love could never be, because the curse that they held hurt those close to them, but I didn't care. If for a week that I knew that Satoshi had this condition, yet still feel so passionately about him, I knew that I would look past that barrier that was trying to separate us. Even if those barriers doubled.

"I feel safe with you Satoshi..." I told him, using my right arm to attempt to hug him, and he hesitated for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around my waist and shoulders, returning the embrace.

"But... I have to tell you something." I whispered into his chest. "My family was part of the incident with the Black Wings, although I never quite knew how they were involved, and I never found out... I just know that they were part of that story, but they were cut out as an unimportant part."

And I wish that I had more to tell him, but it just came down as simple as that, the ancestors that I never knew about were somehow connected to his, even though that one event, it seemed like it could be used as a big deal, but in my eyes, the case seemed rather small.

"Now, I'll be honest... That the first time I saw you, I suspected you of hiding something... But I never knew what on earth it could be." He told me gently in my ear, and something about the way he said it made me smirk, not a devious one, but more of a one of sheer amusement. Finding the whole incident humorous in some strange and twisted way that even I may never completely know for myself.

"Do, you want to go to the dance with me?" He asked me, and I automatically nodded my head yes, evne though I didn't have a dress, I think I knew just where I would be able to get one

* * *

It wasn't long afterward when he took me back to the hotel, and I decided that I had just about enough excitement and events today, so I had retired to my room. Flopping down on the bed, I realized that Diasuke wasn't back yet, so he must have been still out with Riku.

Pulling out my phone, I texted Risa a message, since I bet she was the type who texted all the time. **_Hey, do you think you can get me a dress for the dance?_** After all, it seemed like she would be the best type of person to go to at this... um... how you would say _girly_ times of need.

Not moments later, the phone buzzed in my hand with her reply. **_Sure! Oh, did someone ask you? :) I'll make sure to get you a really cute dress!_**

_Oh, please don't be pink... _ Was my first thought, in which I tossed my phone to the side, and went to the bathroom to wash my face. The cold water stung a little bit at first, but then it started to feel refreshing in it's own way.

"what a pain, my glasses are broken, and I don't have a spare..." I told myself out loud while walking back into the main room, where I closed the open window because of the chilly air.

"I think you lookcute without them." I felt someone breath on my neck from behind, and for whatever reason, I decided to scream as loud as I possibly could because of the intruder, but my mouth was soon covered by their hand and muffled the noise. Just when I was on the brink of being completely terrified, I was spun around to see the face of the unwanted guest.

"Dark?" I asked him as soon as he took his hand away from my mouth, and his signiture smirk was twisted on his lips in a flirty fashion. "What are you doing here?"

"Well... Turns out that a day alone with Riku was too much for Daisuke to handle, so naturally, I took over." He said quite cheerfully, which caused me to slightly roll my eyes.

"I see, can you change back into Daisuke? I'm not comfortable sharing a room with _you._" I told him, and he playfully acted like he was genuinely hurt by my comment.

"How rude you can be sometimes! I'll have you know that I can be quite the gentleman." He started to drone on, and I tried to hide a scoff in response to his claims. "Besides, turning back isn't always so easy... But, you might be able to help me." He said, and I knew that I didn't like the sudden smile on his face.

"What? Me? What can I do?"

"How about if you kiss me, right here?" He said, pointing to his cheek, and I felt disgusted by the suggestion. "I mean, if you don't, I may not turn back all night..." And somehow, giving him a peck on the cheek didn't seem so bad compared to spending the rest of the night with him. Yet, it was something that I refused to do, I had my pride, and I didn't want to just kiss him because of an empty threat he made. I crossed my arms across my chest and turned around, turning my back on him.

"Oh come on? Just once? Do it for Daisuke..." Dark said turning me around again, and I knew alll the tricks he was playing, using my guilt to his advantage. And somehow, it was working.

"Alright..." I said, finally giving in, and he bent down a bit so that I could reach. I closed my eyes so I wouldn' have to look at him while I did it, and went in to kiss his cheek. But at the last second, he turned his head so that his lips were against mine, and when I automatically tried to pull away, he forced my head to stay there as he deepened it for as long as he could, before my stuggling set me free.

"That should work..." He said playfully with a smile on his face before turning into a scarlet colored Daisuke.

"Shizuku... I'm so sorry about that! I-I didn't know he would do that!" He said, apologizing for Dark's behavior. But even though I was furious and felt like I had been used, I put on my best fake smile that I could possibly muster at the moment.

"Don't worry Daisuke... It's not your fault..."

* * *

**A/N:** RIP: Harajuku miniature perfumes Love, Music, G, and Lil' Angel... I'll miss you! But I have doubles in my closet ^.^


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I don't own DN Angel. Sorry, I need to rush, I'm suppose to be asleep, and I'm typing under my covers

Please take a moment of silence for the people who died and the friends and families that were affected during 9/11...

* * *

**Chapter 20: Dancing in the Dark**

**Shizuku's POV:**

"So, enlighten me... Why didn't you ask Riku to the dance?" I questioned Daisuke while taking a sip from a cold water bottle, and in reply I heard him groan and drop down onto his bed with a thump.

"I... just couldn't... because when I was about to, I transformed..." His muffled words came though the pillow that he was burying his face into. For some reason, I had a sudden urge to pat his spiky head and mess up his surprisingly soft hair in a somewhat comforting way. Although, it was only a couple of seconds later that the sweet moment was shattered by laughing, which was hard to believe was coming from my own mouth. And from the moment I had realized it, tears were already started to form in my eyes and breathing was starting to become difficult.

I raised my head to see that Daisuke was looking at me like I was a type of madman, which didn't seem like it could be such a far fetched idea. It was oblivious to even myself why this somewhat depressing moment seemed to be such a humorous occasion, but I felt my heart start to speed up in my chest, and I had to grip onto my water bottle with full force in order to keep my hand from shaking, and all that resolved in was me crushing the Poland Springs bottle and spilling water onto the carpet.

"Shizuku, are you okay?" I heard a voice ask me, but it seemed too distant to seem real. My whole body felt like it had suddenly turned ice cold, and the world seemed to be spinning around me, and my eyelids felt like weights and were about to close. _Why now? It makes no sense..._

I felt a sharp pain on both of my shoulders as I was shaken out my trance by Daisuke, and it was then I realized that his fingernails were digging into me, most likely because of the fear that he was showing on his face. "Shizuku... what's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing, I just have to sit down for a second..." I told him before falling down onto the bed that he had recently risen from, while he kept asking if I felt alright, and of course I would tell a white lie and reassure him that nothing would be wrong with my health. The only problem was, what could I possibly tell him that would seem legit?

"Oh, sometimes I suffer from heart burns, and it just takes me by surprise." I told him dumbly, not thinking of any better excuse me for my strange condition that he had just witnessed. And even more unbelievable, he had actually believed every word that I had said, and started asking me about how heart burn works and how it feels. Luckily, it wasn't hard to describe, since I did recall having it once in my lifetime.

"Wow... it looked like it really hurt." Daisuke told me, and picked up the now smashed up Poland Springs bottle from the floor and disposing it in the trash can for me. Running a hand through my hair, I gripped my chest in a attempt to calm myself down. This feeling wasn't new, but I always did dread when it happened, and it seemed to get worse every single time it happened. But still, I would have to make Daisuke forget that he saw that.

"So, I think that you should still take Riku to the dance... All you need to do is dress up a bit and ask her, trust me... It'll work."

He gave me a confused look, and was about to argue back at my idea. "Listen! Just have some faith, now go put on what you were going to wear!" I yelled at him, and although he seemed a bit frightened, Daisuke rummaged through his drawer to get what seemed like a casual suit and went to go change in the bathroom. As soon as he was gone, I took deeper breaths and laid down on his bed from exhaustion.

_I don't understand why it would happen now... I thought it only hurt me when I didn't... _My thoughts were cut off by the sound of a door opening, and I scrambled off of the bed and forced myself to stand on my feet, trying to look as normal as possible. Not shortly afterward, Daisuke walked into the room, looking quite uncomfortable and tugging at various parts of his suit, mainly the collar.

Seeing his hair was a bit messed up, I reached on the top of my toes to try and smooth part of it out. It was a bit difficult since I was a bit shorter than he was, but I managed to make Daisuke look a little bit better, but not by much.

"See! You look fine, just stop worrying about things." I told him, but he went to look at himself in the mirror of the bathroom. Something about the way he was glancing at himself told me that he was uncertain, so I rolled my eyes at him. Unexpectedly, I felt my pocket vibrate, only to see that I had just received a text message from Risa.

**_Come to my room quick! I've got to get you ready for tonight!_**

"Hey Daisuke, I have to go... See you later!" I told him quickly before leaving the room before he could say anything else. Closing the door behind me, I started to walk down the hall, except when I reached my destination, it was easy to notice the amount of noise that was coming from inside. I was hesitant to knock on the door, but I didn't have to when it opened by itself.

"I told you! You need to leave!" I heard Risa yell from inside, but when the door opened, it was Satoshi with his back to me.

"Fine. But this is still my room as much as yours..." He said before turning around and facing me. "Oh, hello Shizuku."

"Oh yay! You're here!" Risa squealed and pushed Satoshi out of the way, earning her a glare from him. And not to soon afterward, she pulled me into the room and shut the door. Honestly, I was feeling a bit concerned, since I hadn't even seen the dress that she supposedly picked out for me.

"Here it is!" She announced after rummaging through the closet of the room. "I got it in my size, so I hope it fits!" It was pretty simple and classic, no ruffles, glitter, or anything fancy, and I happened to like the shade of midnight blue. I wasn't the kind to wear dresses, but I couldn't help but think that it seemed quite beautiful, but it was also a fact that clothes seem more graceful by themselves than on actual people. Which was very ironic in its own way.

Well, I guess it could be worse.

* * *

**_Later that night..._**

After entering the small room where the dance was being held, I immediately ran into Riku, and decided to talk to her for a while before many more people came, since the two of us were a bit early.

"Hey Riku." I greeted, and she offered a friendly wave in return, although her expression seemed a bit sour.

"Oh, hi... Are you here with anyone? Because Daisuke didn't ask me..." She said dreadfully, and I felt it was a bit ironic that I had now heard both sides to this short story, but there were facts that Riku were completely oblivious to.

"Actually, Daisuke said he felt really guilty about that, he was moping all morning..." I told her, trying to give Daisuke an advantage. "But you know, if he asks you to dance later, I think you should say yes." At first Riku didn't look so sure, so I tried to convince her more into the idea of it. After all, Daisuke does deserve some slack once in a while.

We talked for a while, and by then, the room was starting to fill up with people, most of them dancing in stupid ways that they must have thought to be humorous, but I tried my best to ignore them.

"Well, you do have a point..." Riku finally agreed, "But, I highly doubt Daisuke will ask me anyway..." And as if on cue, the one person we were just talking about walked up to the two of us, looking almost exactly as he did back inside the room about a couple hours ago, except now, he was slightly blushing. I gave him a reassuring wink when Riku wasn't looking, and he gave me a small smile.

"Um... Riku? Would you like to dance?" He asked, and she almost immediately nodded her head yes before the two of them disappeared among the small crowd of students that were already on the floor. And the timing turned out to be extra perfect, as a slow song begun to play through the speakers.

"Aren't you a little matchmaker..." A voice said behind me, and smiling, I turned around to Satoshi, who was holding his hand out, and gestured his head to the direction of the dance floor. Shyly, I started to shake my head no while blushing, basically because it was a slow song, and I wasn't exceptionally great at ballroom dancing. But despite my silent protest, he practically dragged me out to a small part of the dance floor where it was basically dead air, with no one around it, and I felt him pull me into the dance.

Slowly, I started to follow the movements, but I was basically just attempting to hide how flustered I had actually gotten. Somehow, even though this was a completely different situation, it reminded me a bit about the time that I had discovered my feelings for Satoshi. The way we were dancing, the way I was feeling, and the way it felt like he was literally swept me off my feet, felt a bit like tonight.

"It kind of brings back memories, doesn't it?" He asked me, obviously thinking about the exact same moment I was, and I silently nodded my head. Separating just a tiny bit from me, Satoshi leaned down to press his forehead against mine, and I couldn't help but smile at the movement. We started to get a little closer, and I was half looking at the ground to avoid eye contact. When, a super loud song that I recognized to be _Run Devil Run_, starting to play through the speakers, causing me to slightly jump.

The two of us quickly separated, and acted like nothing had happened, not that anyone was really looking, anyway.

"I'll be right back with some water..." He said before disappearing out of my sight, and I started to feel the slightest bit tense in my own skin, and attempted to calm myself down my breathing a bit deeply. And yet, I was feeling optimistic, and I knew that tonight would be great.

_I mean really, what's the worst that could happen?_

* * *

**Krad's POV:**

_Allow my apologies, Master Satoshi. But I can not witness this for much longer. _I told him, and before he even had a chance to respond to my sudden outburst, I forced myself to take over his body.

**_No, Krad... not now..._** Satoshi started to plea, but I ignored his attempt and continued to push farther. It was quite pathetic that not one of the humans surrounding him didn't even notice his struggles, as he almost collapsed on the ground, and was leaning against a table for support.

Obviously, if he were to suddenly grow my wings, it would draw all sorts of unnecessary attention, but I wasn't attempting to go so far. In a matter of seconds, the transformation that I was aiming for was completed, and I moved my arms around a bit while looking at my accomplished form. Although, there was one thing that filled my curiosity, and since there was no mirror available in my position, I removed the glasses from my face as used them to see my own reflection.

As I expected, the face I was looking at proved to be Satoshi's, except for the small feature that I slightly feared. Although nothing that would cause much of a problem, it would be obvious that that girl would certainly notice if my eyes were not blue like Master Satoshi's.

_I must not make eye contact... _I thought to myself, and situated the bangs the short blue that I wasn't familiar with on myself so that it would hide most of my vision, but this way, it would also probably hide the coloration of my eyes. Searching briefly around the room, it wasn't long until I spotted my target leaning against a wall, seeming to be staring off into space. Smirking, I made my way over to her while avoiding the other students, none of them turned an eye to me, which made this task simpler than I would have thought.

Upon turning herself to me, the girl showed a small and idiotic looking grin on her face. In a way, it was an instinct to gag at her expression, but in order to keep my appearance believable, I twisted my lips into the best excuse of a smirk as I could possibly spare. I attempted to sustain glaring at her feet instead of her face, but the downside to this would be that this girl would start asking questions.

"Is something wrong?" I heard the Sakishima ask, inside my mind, I was struggling to create possible excuses, and a reason why I would be able to lead her outside the building.

"Well, I believe that I need some... fresh air." I responded, and as soon as I did, a new realization came obvious to me. That I had not even thought to account for a possible change of voice during the transformation, and the tone I was using was none other than my own.

"I think you do... Your voice seems kinda off..." She said, and I had to suppress the urge to chuckle at how much of an imbecile this girl truly turned out to be. She tugged my hand and led me out of the door of the room, and the two of us left without being detected by anyone. It was almost how unbelievable how effortless my task was becoming.

Outside, small white flakes started to fall from the sky, although the sky didn't seem to look very dangerous. _Good, I should assume that flying shall not be a predicament... Now the only thing left to decide is where. _Scanning around as far as my eyesight would allow me, I searched for a place that would be high enough from the ground, but also somewhere adequately discreet.

Out of nowhere, I heard a gasp from my side. And when looking in the direction of the noise, it was none other than the Sakishima girl, slowly making an attempt to back away from me. There was a noticeable expression of something that I knew quite well. Fear.

"W-Who are you..." She pathetically stuttered while staring directly at my eyes, and I realized my mistake of looking around the town and allowing her to see their color. Dropping my previous act, a sadist smirk and vicious glare appeared on my face, and quickly grabbed her by the waist and chin. Gasps and sounds of struggles escaped her, but I kept her in place as I bent down to whisper in her ear.

"You should know very well who I am... Honestly, you are quite a nuisance." I told her before slightly tightening my grip on her, and using a bit of my magic. For a split second, the girl started to glow a golden hue, before she stopped moving completely, and fell limp in my arms. I kept in mind that the spell wouldn't last very long since I was still using Master Satoshi's body.

Acting quickly, I picked up the girl's body bridal style and transformed back into my usual form. I slightly flinched as the wings ripped from under the skin of my back. Ignoring the insignificant amount of pain, I rose to the sky in a flurry of the snow crystals in my way, additionally deciding to search for a destination while in the sky, my eyes automatically landed on what looked like an ancient and abandoned church.

_I could just kill her now... _The thought appeared in my head, which the understanding that dropping her from our current height would be more than certain to finish the job. Yet, something about just allowing her to fall to her death would not be completely satisfying to me.

Choosing my judgement to glide my way in the direction of the church, I was starting to feel movement from the still unconscious girl, and realized that she would be waking up very soon. Not that it really mattered when she decided to awake, as long as it would be her last.

* * *

**3rd Person POV: **(Wow, I'm changing perspectives a lot, aren't I? 0.0)

As soon as Krad landed upon the open tower of the abandoned church, Shizuku began to stir more than before, and shortly regained consciousness. Lazily, she opened her eyes and saw the face of a captor she did not know, and automatically screamed. In reaction to her, Krad shoved her against a wall and pressed his hand against her mouth quite roughly to silence her.

Her heart started to beat faster than ever, and the paralyzing feeling of true terror washed over her quickly, so that she did not dare move. Shizuku could not scream any longer, and soon became silent, staring wide-eyed at the stranger who she assumed that she knew about.

"My name is Krad, although it doesn't much matter to you." He said, and removed his gloved hand from the girl's mouth. Feeling completely trapped, she couldn't do anything except to stare at him until he decided to make his next move. Roughly grabbing her shoulders, Krad made sure that she would stay pinned against that wall, and would not move.

A thousand thoughts were going through Shizuku's head, and not a single one was positive. She was imagining what he was going to do, and started to shiver at just thinking about the possibilities. He wanted to murder her, that much she knew... It was the cold glare in Krad's eyes that made her fear him the most.

"You should stay away from what doesn't belong to you." He hissed in her face, making her slightly cringe from how close he had gotten, but nothing prepared her for what happened next.

Krad forcefully crushed his lips against hers, completely catching Shizuku off guard, and she felt her eyes widen at the sudden surprise. Completely shocked, she felt like she couldn't even move, yet, she tried and struggled as much as she could, her lips already feeling bruised from the abuse.

For a split second, she managed to push him away so that she could finally breathe, which sounded like a quick gasp before Krad pinned her once again against the wall, pushing his lips on hers, which were already numb from pain. And the longer he kept it up, the more drowsy Shizuku seemed to be.

_Krad! What are you doing? Stop it right now! _Satoshi pleaded to his other half, while he was forced to watch what was occurring. Even though he tried his hardest to fight back and regain control, Krad's power over his body seemed to be growing. Coming to this realization, he figured out what Krad's plan had been all this time.

_You're stealing her energy? Aren't you?_**(1) **He screamed within his mind, and in return, Krad gave him an evil snicker, which cleared his suspicions. _Krad! Stop it or she'll die!_

**_Ah, so you finally see my point. Time shall heal all wounds, Master Satoshi, in no time, this girl will only be a distant memory. _**Krad finally responded, and chuckled a bit more as Shizuku's body started to feel limper than before. Satoshi's efforts were simply wasted, as Krad felt her energy transfer to himself, coursing through his veins, allowing him absolute control to keep his tamer nothing but an annoying voice.

Removing his hands from Shizuku's shoulders, Krad felt her starting to slip down the wall. Instead, he used one arm to encircle her waist, and his free hand to vigorously yank her chin upward. It was quite clear to him that the girl's heartbeat had slowed down immensely, meaning that the job was almost complete.

_Only a little while longer..._ Krad thought to himself, feeling a sense of pleasure that in a matter of seconds the _thing _that had gotten involved with Satoshi would finally learn it's lesson, that interfering with his everything was something that was not taken lightly to him. _To think, for a moment I thought of her as a potential threat._

Suddenly, I sharp pain ripped through Krad's wing, causing him to pull away and growl of agony. Dropping the now unconscious girl to the ground, he twisted his head backwards to see that his usually white right wing was starting to turn blood soaked red. Attempting to move the damaged wing to inspect the injury closer, he slightly winced as it felt like something was twisting inside the wing, and weighing it down quite heavily.

A metal object pierced through the feathers, and without a second thought, Krad yanked it from his wing, causing more of the blood to pour out of the fresh wound. It stained his white outfit, including his gloves in which he held what had caused him to actually feel a insignificant amount of pain. Twirling the instrument around, he gave it a deadly but utterly confused look.

"A... Kunai?**(2)**" He slightly whispered to just himself before throwing the pathetic weapon to the ground. But it was then when he finally noticed a presence behind him. Someone... or _something _had been watching him this whole time.

Twisting his body around as fast as he possibly could, he scanned around the area in search of anything suspicious, yet, there wasn't a living thing in sight. Scowling, he knew that the culprit was obviously hiding in some sort of blind spot that Krad wasn't aware of. Letting the fact go for a split moment, he turned back around to gather Shizuku's body, since if someone was watching, all of this was highly dangerous.

Yet, when he stared at the ground where that girl was just moments before, was only the blooded kunai, and no trace of anything else. _It was a distraction... _Krad soon realized, and felt the anger and rage start to boil inside of him to the very brim. He couldn't stand to be fooled, and was more than certain to murder what ever was responsible for this form of trickery against him.

Growling a bit loudly, he gritted his teeth and felt more infuriated with each step he took across the floor, before he started to think about the situation rationally. Where could this offender possibly have escaped in such a short amount of time was the key piece to this, since whatever it was, it couldn't have gotten too far. On the other had, Krad wouldn't be able to travel great distances quite quickly either, since the damage done to his wing was surely more than enough to keep him grounded for a while. Which would probably serve as a predicament. Although, it wasn't long until the blonde finally realized the main location to flee.

_The church..._

Trying to be as swift, but as silent as he possibly could, Krad started to descend the old wooden staircase that had already seen its prime years, and were starting to already rot away. This made keeping quiet an extra challenge, since they would start to creak under the slightest of pressure. Although, near the end of the spiral wooden staircase, there was the faintest sound of a voice whispering something that echoed throughout the empty halls of the chapel.

"I need to keep you alive... just a bit longer..." The unknown male voice said while laying Shizuku down in one of the many wooden rows. Quietly observing from one of the many darkened corners of the room, Krad witnessed in confusion as an abnormal streak of translucent light blue light traveled from the darkened stranger and seemed to dissolve into the girl's body.

Aiming for a closer look, he attempting to make a move to the right but in the process, accidentally kicked a small pile of grey debris on the ground, making the smallest possible noise, but in the empty halls, it echoed all around the room. _Crap... _Krad thought as he hastily hid behind a nearby pillar in an attempt to not give up his location.

"You were the one who attempted to murder my lovely adolescent." A monotone voice echoed behind him and searching around for the voice, Krad was quite shocked to see a man standing right behind him.

Due to the shadows in the spot where they stood, the stranger's face was unseeable, but it was easy to tell that he had a structure and composure similar to Dark or Krad in terms of height and body buildup. His clothes mostly consisted of black and very dark grey, except for his twin belts and buckle boots, which in surprise were actually white.

Before another word could be spoken by either one of them, the man quickly pulled out twin sai**(2) **weapons and lunged for Krad without a second thought. Relying completely on reflexes, Krad just barely dodged the sudden attack, the sai ripping through the fabric of his white coat, but he himself was unscathed.

"That isn't something that I will take lightly..." He said, before immediately making another attempt to attack Krad, but with the weight of his dead wing, he was unable to dodge the short sword as it ripped through his flesh.

Screaming in agony, Krad was pinned against the wall, the weapon still lodged through his side, and blood starting to stain yet more of his outfit, slowly dripping down all the way to the floor. Gripping his teeth, he stared daggers at his attacker, furious that this stranger had actually have managed to get the better of him, to actually scar him. Whoever this man was, Krad was going to kill him, that he would make sure of.

Quickly using his hands, Krad grabbed both the wrists of his attacker, using one to pull the sai out of his flesh, and the other to hold back its twin, which was practically an inch away from his face. In that struggle on who was stronger than whom, the light from the moon shone through one of the holes where the windows used to be. And as Krad pushed his opponent further away from him, some of the light caught on the stranger's face, revealing a face that Krad couldn't believe.

"Kokubyaku**(3)**..." He snarled, before finally pulling the enemy away from him, causing Kokubyaku to snicker at him. "I suppose I wasn't far off when I presumed that this girl would have something to do with the likes of you." He spat, and in return, there was no audible response, but his rival simply licked the side of his sai covered in Krad's blood with a smirk on his face. As if trying to taunt him, or aggravate him more than he already was.

"Au contraire, Krad... The girl doesn't even have the slightest clue of my existence." Kokubyaku said in the same monotone voice, but had a devious look on his face. "I'm here on my own business."

Gripping his injury, Krad could do nothing but stare at the disgusting assassin, and once again felt a fury or rage boil inside of him. Because he was actually beaten, unable to escape by flight, and unable to defend himself because of his already existing wounds that opened up every single time that he moved. Kokubyaku, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this display, slightly chuckling to himself at the sight of the white wings as helpless as this, and ever so slowly walked up against the wall he had been so brutally pushed off of.

Retreating his sai to his belts, he tightly gripped Krad by the throat, shoving him against the wall, and the sadist side of him broke loose. Using his free hand, he dug into the flesh of where his sword had ripped, causing more screams of agony to escape from Krad. Enjoying this, he removed the hand just seconds later, his gloved hand now red, before giving a pitiful expression.

"It truly is such a shame I can't kill you..." Kokubyaku told him softly, and tore his eyes from Krad to look in the direction of where he lay Shizuku's body minutes ago. "Even though I can't appear in females... There is something about the second-born Sakishima that is so, what's the word?" He stopped talking for a moment to gather his thoughts, before staring back at Krad with a sinister look.

"Useful... Which is why she must live another day." Krad, clearly shocked by his remark, only took into account one important detail that was uttered.

"Did you just say, second born?" Krad asked in disbelief, before finding the anger soon return to him. "There is more than one?" He yelled in his face, yet the expression on Kokubyaku did not change the slightest.

"Why yes, her brother is my current tamer, although, I wouldn't have the strength to be here without the girl. Which is another reason why I can not allow you to kill her... You know for a fact that the Kokuyoku didn't give me as much strength as you and Dark, which is why I haven't seen you in centuries, lost rival." And for some reason, the hand that he had clasped around Krad's throat started to glow in a strange blue light.

"And I hope I see you again." Suddenly, Krad's entire body started to glow an abnormal yellow hue, which was when Kokubyaku finally released his grip and returned back to the still unconscious Shizuku, picking her up bridal style. Looking backwards, he saw that Krad was no longer there, but a very shaken up bluenette.

"Hey! What are you doing with her?" Satoshi yelled after the man with Shizuku in his arms, who didn't even give the boy a second glance as he jumped out one of the still intact windows of the chapel, shattering the glass everywhere, causing Satoshi to hold him arm out in front of his face to prevent damage.

Barely managing the strength, he chased after the stranger who was surprisingly fast, darting around trees and small buildings. But it wasn't long until his legs gave out, and Satoshi tripped on a small rock jutting out of the ground, falling face down on the day old snow. It felt like he was giving up, because his body could barely move at all, and not even the dark stranger who was holding Shizuku was in his sight any longer. _This was all my fault, I allowed myself to fall for her, and she nearly gets killed. I should have thought of her safety before my own feelings... _I kept telling himself, his heart beating fast, and guilt laying down in his heart

_Meanwhile..._

"I am sorry I have no wings, my lovely adolescent..." Kokubyaku whispered to the still unconscious girl in his arms as he jumped around rooftops and high branches of trees. He kept running even after he could no longer hear the footsteps of the Hikari boy who was trailing him before, until he reached his destination.

Quietly unlocking the window, Kokubyaku carried Shizuku into the empty hotel room before laying her down on what he presumed to be her bed, although it was only a educated guess. This was her room, after all, he had at least made that factor sure. He covered her in one of the thick blankets, covering up her dark blue dress which was torn in a couple places, but he had already cured any of her possible injuries.

"I shall see you again soon... Suki."

* * *

**A/N: I need some help! **Alright, I'm trying to enter an AMV contest and I need a good Owl City song that would work for a DN Angel AMV. Please send me your recommendations. (I won't win the contest, because DN Angel isn't as popular as say, Fullmetal Alchemist, but I want to try!)

**(1) **You know that episode when Towa was introduced? Well, Dark gave her energy with a kiss... So I just reversed the idea.  
**(2)**If you don't know what kunai or sai look like... There is a reason google exists.  
**(3) **Kokubyaku is Japanese romanji for "black and white" or "right and wrong" (I actually found a decent translator!)


	22. Chapter 21

*munches on cake cautiously* Why can't you be _my _brother? I mean, you can bake, cook, be kind, and so much more!

Seiji: Why, thank you! You are very kind. Although, I think we're missing the reason for this celebration...

Shizuku: *enters room* Hey, what are you all doing here? Shouldn't we start the story? ... And why cake?

Me: You don't know? It's one year since this story started, so it's like our anniversary. In an author and character way, but you know! Just shut up and eat some cake! Your brother is very talented...

Seiji: And remember, my sister and I are the property of the lovely SoulMaiden, and the rest of the DN Angel cast is not.

Shizuku: Don't talk like we're just objects!

* * *

**Chapter 21: Home?**

**Shizuku's POV:**

"So, in two weeks we start school again, right?" I asked Daisuke as every passenger on the plane had started to arise from their seats in what seemed like a small mob. Alike everyone else, the two of us had started to stand as well, if only to stretch our legs due to the fact that we had been sitting in those airplane seats for hours and hours.

"Yeah, that's right... So I guess we'll see each other then?" And in response, I gave him a simple nod as we both waited for most of the anxious crowd to leave the small walkway, before getting up and I attempted to reach the upper compartment where our carryon bags were. Although, no matter how hard I tried, I could only graze the bottom of the plastic, but wasn't tall enough to actually open it.

Luckily, Daisuke noticed my slight struggle and made the movement to assist me in opening it, and handing me the bags that he was able to recognize as the ones that we had brought on. I uttered a small thanks in embarrassment of being so short, but I don't think he seemed to mind one bit. As soon as the small black handbag was in my possession, I dug through it, sifting through the items that I had brought just in case, like my inhaler that I hadn't used in two years.

Pushing away other things like my wallet, and hard candy that I loved, I finally retrieved my iPod from the very bottom. For some reason, I hadn't felt like I wanted to listen to music during the flight, but I knew for a fact that with the tedious task of gathering luggage, I would want to drain my head with something. Although, I had no idea what I was in the mood for, so I decided to just set the device on shuffle, and stuck one earbud in my right ear, cranking the volume to its max as I entered the noisy airport.

Not even looking at the screen, I immediately knew what song had started to play, as it was one of my favorites. _Superboy and the Invisible Girl_, possibly one of the most breathtaking songs from the show Next to Normal, in my own opinion of course. It was catchy, addictive, yet meaningful and full of tension. I had almost forgotten how much I loved showtunes, and just Broadway in general, and immediately switched the settings on my iPod to infinite loop, so I could just listen to this one song over and over again.

Striding over to the baggage area, I waited patiently until I was able to successfully obtain my own luggage, which only took about 10 minutes all together. Meaning, I had already listened to Alice Ripley's voice for about five times, yet it never seemed to get old, and continued to be on my way without making any move to change my selection of music.

Carefully coordinating my movements, I managed to travel through the large crowds of business men and obvious tourists, although being pushed around quite a bit by the occasional rude passerby. One of them, had actually knocked my earbud out, and caused me to scramble in an attempt to put it back in, which was a bit difficult while carrying my two bags, although I was able to place in back in time for the small duet part towards the end.

I was a bit skeptical to trust Seiji, since he had claimed that he would be here to meet me when I had landed, and so far I hadn't seen the faintest sight of him. It wouldn't really be far off from his personality to forget about the date, but it would still make me a bit angry.

_One chance..._ I thought to myself before pulling out my cell phone, and checking to see if I had any form of reception, although it was highly doubtful in a concentrated and packed place like this, but I decided to have a little faith. And to my relief, there was a measly amount of bars in the exact spot where I was standing, and made a point of not to move, just in case I would lose it.

My contact list was practically empty as it was, so locating Seiji's number was not much of a challenge. A bit hesitant, I reluctantly pushed the small green call button while the scroller was still above his name, and it started to dial.

In the strangest way, the most awkward part of this whole moment was actually just the task to standing still in the midst of people who were in the process of swarming and scampering to all of their late flights. Some of them, in their great hurry, carelessly knocked into me with the oversized black bags in which they held onto so tightly, possibly adding new bruises to my arms.

Barely audible, I was able to recognize the faint vibrating ring of the dialing tone. I waited a couple moments, expecting his annoying voice to respond, but the ring just continued, the ominous noise starting to fill my ears. Although, it was soon replaced by a female robotic tone that no one really ever wants to hear.

_At the tone, please record your message after the be- _As I cut the call off before the recorded voice could even finish it's sentence. It was on instinct that my eyes felt a bit saddened, and a sigh found it's way from my mouth. Making my own decision right then and there, I left the airport through the front door and attempted to hail some sort of car, like I did when I first arrived in this town and any other for the first time.

Surprisingly, it wasn't long until I was able to catch one for myself, and simply told the driver the address about a block away from my house. I could tell that the man was looking at me skeptically through the driver's mirror, as if wondering if I would actually pay him or not. Paying no mind to him, I found my eyes gazing out of the window, focusing more on the darkened scenery more than my own faint reflection.

My body slightly tugged against my seatbelt, the world outside the glass stopped moving as the car stopped, and the man in the drivers seat turned around in my direction. "Your total turns out to be..." He hesitated as he stared at the payment counter in the front. Before he could finish, I quickly got out a little more that what I would estimate to be the amount and told him to keep the change.

Gathering my things, I slammed the car door closed after exiting and began to walk down the dark sidewalk only lit by a couple of street lamps. I felt a bit lazy, so I extended the handle of my larger luggage case to make use of the small wheels on the bottom, while they squeaked as they moved down the street.

At this time of night, it was mostly silent, and most of the lights in the nearby buildings were often turned off, and the feeling of walking like this made me feel just the slightest bit lonely. _Wait... Lonely? I don't think I've felt like that in years... _I realized, and started to think about why I would feel such a way now. All that I was doing was taking the block long stroll back to my house.

Yet, I felt a bit of insecurity in the air, or perhaps it was just me being a little bit too paranoid for myself. Whatever it was, the essence soon left as I approached the front door and reached for the keys in my carryon. It was a job which took two hands to accomplish, since it was a scattered mess in there, finding the small set of metal keys was a bit difficult.

Finally unlocking the door blocking my way, I saw that the interior of the house was dark, and not a single sign of life was to be seen. Before taking any other measures, I trudged upstairs and dumped the luggage on the floor, deciding that I would unpack them later. Then proceeded to turn on almost all the lights in the house that I possibly could. Leaving it completely dark seemed a bit creepy, especially because I had no intention of falling asleep right away.

Digging through my closet, I located the two things which I was looking for, and I had a sudden urge to find. The small portable DVD player that I had purchased for longer plane rides some years ago, and a copy of Tim Burtons _The Nightmare Before Christmas. _It was a simple kids movie, probably made to provoke the minds of young children to have some sort of nightmare, hence the title. Yet, I found the short story sweet.

I walked back downstairs and plopped myself down on top of the couch, stretching my legs out as if the furniture was a type of bed, and popped the DVD into its proper place. The singing, the spider-like and creepy movements of the characters immediately caught my total attention, and I had almost forgot about everything else in my surroundings.

_Ring ring... ring ring... _The not so familiar tone of the house phone rang, but since I wasn't sure of who it might be, I allowed it to continue ringing, and didn't even make a move to answer it, no matter how annoying the noise might be.

_"Um, hey... Suki? Are you there?"_ A voice I knew too well spoke through the phone, probably attempting to leave a message. Still, I stayed put in my comfortable position, and tried to ignore the somewhat hesitant voice that was filling the house besides the movie.

_"Listen, I know that you're mad at me because I forgot, but I know you're there! So just pick up the phone!" _He started to yell, and I paused the movie since I had become far too distracted to pay attention to it any longer. I made my way over to the phone, not in a rush, but I felt that I should at least do him the pleasure of picking up when he had called.

_"Well, I guess you're not home..." _His voice finally said as I had started to reach for the phone, but my hand drew back in the thought that he would just hang up. _"Now I feel like an idiot... I guess I'll just erase this message when I get back. I hope I beat you home if you're not there already!" _

And with a small click, Seiji had hung up the phone, and I went back to continue watching on the couch, humming along to some of the songs, although I wasn't as focused as before the phone call. My mind started to wander, and my thoughts seemed to go everywhere except the relaxing that I had intended to do. For some reason, I was impatiently waiting to hear the door unlock, because I never knew when Seiji was planning to come back from whatever he had been doing.

Nothing was really grabbing my attention anymore, and I switched the device in my lap off, and reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, there really wasn't much that caught my interest, a couple game shows, children sitcoms, and the soap operas for those lonely people who needed drama in their lives. I decided on watching a news program which talked about next to nothing, since this town seemed too safe and peaceful for its own good.

_Click._ A sound behind me quickly caught my attention, and I walked towards the opening door, as if on instinct to greet whoever would walk in, although I already knew who it was. Seiji came inside, closing the door quietly behind him, and hiding something that I couldn't see behind his back.

"I was wondering why the lights were on..." He said, not directly making eye contact with me, but clearly he had been addressing me. "I missed you so much!" Seiji yelled and pulled me in a large hug, and it felt like it was breaking my ribs, but I didn't say anything, but just stood there silently. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, honestly, because he still did leave me abandoned at that airport, and something like that wasn't taken lightly with me.

"So, how was your trip? You have fun? How was the last day?" He started pestering me, while I gave him a blank expression, and started to look at the white fabric draped around his left arm, where he also held a small brown briefcase in hand. He made a small and failed attempt to hide it from me, while I just raised an eyebrow inquisitively at his actions.

"Oh, these are nothing..." He said sheepishly, and threw them across the room to the floor, possibly thinking that I would forget about them if they were out of sight. But, with my curiosity getting the best of me, I picked up the few items, and started to inspect the white piece of fabric in particular, which turned out to be some kind of coat. "NO DON'T LOOK AT IT! IT'S POISONOUS!" I heard Seiji started to scream at me and rush over and snatch it away from me, but not before I was able to read the small name tag on its front.

"Doctor... Davidson? Since when are you a doctor?" I asked while hopelessly confused, and Seiji looked like he was about to duck and run, and was biting his lip tightly in a very frightened way. It took him a while, as if thinking about what he could say.

"...Um, well... You see... I kinda am trained in the medical profession, but look at you! What's wrong with your arm, huh?" Seiji yelled, at me, his version of fear turning into a type of rage towards me. I stared at him, wide eyed in shock at the fact that he could even tell about the injury on my arm.

The way he was staring at me, how uncomfortable his glare made me feel, I had to admit it. For the first time in my life, I was _scared_ of Seiji, and I could even feel myself slightly tremble. I don't know what it was that made him notice, but after a moment, his face softened once again, as if sensing my terror.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. But I would like to look at your arm." He quickly apologized, and I silently nodded, in a way of saying that I had forgave him, as he grabbed my right wrist to lead me over to the couch. I pushed up my left sleeve to show the sloppy bandages that I had applied myself, and obviously not very well. He removed the white gauze himself, and grabbed my left arm with both his hands, turning it over in different angels to observe the stitches.

I brought my foot to the surface of the couch, and then balanced my elbow on top of my knee in order to burry my chin into the palm of my right hand. I became a bit bored while he just sat across from me and stared at my arm, and the unspoken communication between the two of us was starting to become even more awkward than before.

"So, what did you do on the last day of the trip?" He asked, breaking the silence, and stealing a quick glance of eye contact with me while smiling. Although, I didn't like that expression, mostly because it seemed to fake for him to always be so happy... One of the many things that I was not able to understand.

"I don't know... I think I caught a cold or something, because I can't remember the last day." I admitted truthfully, and his smile faltered, noticeably turning into a sort of darkened frown. It was something I didn't see too often from him, so my suspicions started to rise just a bit higher than before. I wasn't lying, my memory about the last day was really quite frazzled, and I had absolutely no idea why it would be.

"It looks fine! I'll just have to remove those stitches when the time is right." He told me, completely dropping the previous subject, and released my arm back to me. Immediately, I pulled the sleeve back down, on a force of habit, and didn't even bother to go through the trouble of re-bandaging it. As soon as I did, a small pang went off in my head, causing me to make a small flinch. Rubbing my temples, I felt a small migraine start to emerge in my head.

It quickly became much worse, and I shut my eyes quite tightly, holding my head with both my hands, my fingernails digging into my skull, causing a bit of pain to cancel out the headache, but not by much. I heard the sound of rushed footsteps, but I couldn't open my eyes to see what was going on, and could only sit there and tremble as my pain grew even worse, like a seething fire inside my mind.

When it was finally over, I had felt so weak, and fell face first onto the couch, almost on the verge of fainting, but I was able to realize something a bit important. _Where did Seiji go?_

"Why hello there, my lovely. I deeply apologize for causing you such pain, but it was the only way that I could finally meet you." A strange voice said, but the strangest part, was it seemed to be right next to my ear. Feeling breathing against part of my face, I automatically jumped back up into a sitting position and started to scream at the dark figure standing before me.

I was quickly silence by his large hand, and a type of expression on the stranger's face which I wasn't able to read at all. In a way, he looked a bit like he was pouting at me, but to pout didn't really fit the type of description that I was looking for, but no other word could come to my mind.

"Please don't scream, I don't want you to fear me. I serve to protect you, my lady. My name is Kokubyaku." He said slowly, and removed his gloved hand from my face, although I had no idea what to say. I felt scared, and threatened, and had no idea what any of this even meant.

"I suppose I should explain myself, so that you can feel more secure around me, yes?" Kokubyaku half whispered, and bent down on one knee to become closer to the height of my sitting form, and took one of my hands, grazing his lips over it so slightly, a smirk on his face that caused me to slightly shiver.

"I suppose that you could call me, a third of the Black Wings. Not even close to being complete." He started to explain, some sorrow on his face, but anyone could tell that it was obviously fake. His eyes were cold and black as coal, as if unfeeling and dead, and he never broke eye contact from me, and continued to terrify every part of me.

"Usually, my form is incredibly weak by solely itself..." He said, now standing up to his full height, he towered over me, and grabbed both my shoulders a bit roughly, causing me to silently gasp to myself. His sinister look seemed to peer right through me, and his face was unflinching as it came closer, now a smirk playing on his face.

"But you... When I feed off of your pain and sorrow, I gain so much power! Of course, I sometimes need to force those migraines upon you, but the results are always satisfactory..." He slightly slurred, with a cat like grin, and through my fear, I found it a bit hard to even form words.

"Y-You cause my migraines? Does that mean, you also cause the... attacks?" I asked hesitantly, although wish that I hadn't, because if this... Kokubyaku was able to hurt me so easily, I would have every right to feel threatened by his presence.

"If you are referring to the waves of pain when you do not travel to a place of my liking, then yes. I also apologize for putting you through one of them this week."

It was true. There was always a pattern, that when I stayed in a certain town for too long, my body would start reacting, giving me attacks that were similar to one that Daisuke had seen. I may had not remembered much from the other day, but that was one thing that I wouldn't forget. All this time, the pains that my body endured for an unexplainable reason, was really feeding another part of the Black Wings power? It seemed unbelievable, or maybe, I didn't want to believe it, and wish this man would just disappear, like he wasn't here.

"I know you fear me now... But if you trust me, I can make all of your worries disappear, you'll never again feel lonely, abandoned, or upset. I will heal all your wounds, and give you protection... All I ask is that you do what I say."

At that moment, he had slipped something from what I assumed came from his pocket, and placed it on my neck, as within a closer look, I noticed it was a small pedant which I had never seen before. As he did the clasp behind my neck, it started to glow a bit faintly, and all my fear was gone, as well as any other emotion I was feeling at the moment. In fact, I couple barely feel anything, as if my mind had gone completely numb. Except, I knew to say three words involuntarily, as if my mouth worked on its own.

"Yes, I accept."

* * *

A/N: To all of you reading this, thanks for pulling through with me and for some of you, following me for about a year now. This really makes me want to update more often, although I'm not sure I'll get the chance. But I'll try!  
(Just for the record, I'm not sure what I just wrote, I've been sick during the writing of this chapter.)

Yay! I have my DN Angel cosplay! It came in the mail the other day, and it looks a lot like the school uniform!


	23. Chapter 22

**Takeshi's POV: **

"Hey Daisuke, whatcha spacing out about?"

Without any response from him, it might have been right to think that he could be dead, or maybe he had just stopped breathing... Something like that. But any amount of yelling and pestering wouldn't let him loosen up from his state of endless staring into nothing.

"Dude!" I yelled once again, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling at it, seeing if I would actually get some sort of reaction. And boy, did I.

"OW! Takeshi? What was that for?" He asked in a slightly infuriated voice, but mainly, he looked hurt, rubbing his head constantly where I had recently yanked his locks. Which, now that I looked back on it, might have been a bit too harsh and rash. But what the hell, it was a spur of the moment kinda thing, and it caught attention when I did stuff like that.

"Oh, sorry bout that man... But anyway, I've got some news that I picked up from my microphones set up in the main office. And it looks like the class play is coming up!" I told him with enthusiasm, it was a pain to bug the main office of the school, since there was like, _always_ a teacher or someone around there watching you. But, those little babies sure got results, sometimes I could pick up scoops on the school, right from the central source.

As I went into more of the details that I had happened to listen into with Daisuke, I had gotten the impression that he was only like, two-thirds listening. I mean, when I'm talking, you can't be only _half_ listening, I always make sure of that, you have to be like, 66% listening to the words coming out of this mouth. Still, I didn't know what the hell was distracting him from paying attention to me.

"Ya know... You seem off today, you feeling alright, Daisuke?"

In a sort of response, he meekly shrugged his shoulders once, as if saying that he wasn't really sure. Damn, is everyone turning strange all of a sudden? It's like most of the class has been dead or whatever, no sparks flaming up out of anywhere, just a bunch of boring blobs without personalities.

In such a grey and colorless place, how is a reporter like me expected to prosper? I live for the color and excitement, the bizarre and thrilling, every single detail of student lives that may even appear abnormal. Yet, it seemed like something sucked all the life from our once normal classroom.

Wait. Sucked life. Something.

"Oh my god... YOU'RE A VAMPIRE, AREN'T YOU DAISUKE!" And at once, the heads of everyone in the room within an audible range snapped upwards, including the one of the red headed vampire, with a truly shocked face. _He must be surprised that I discovered his secret... I can't let my guard down._

I began to slowly back away from the "Daisuke" seated at the desk, not even sure if I could call him by that name anymore. After all, as far as I could tell, he might as well be one of those sparkly, freaky blood sucking weirdos like in that American vampire book... What was it called again? Moonlight? Something like that.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" A new voice said, and looking towards the direction of the door, I saw Shizuku, her appearance and tone quite similar to the rest of everyone else...

"You..." I said, pointing at her with one hand, and with the other, I was reaching for my ultimate weapon in this situation. "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM TOO!"

As fast as my reflexes would allow, I pulled out my camera with its flash setting on, and snapped a picture right in her face, before bolting out of there as fast as my damn legs would carry me. I ignored all those stupid teachers who started yelling at me for 'running in the hallways' or whatever they were bugging out about. Crap, if only they knew I was running for my _life_, then they sure as hell wouldn't be yelling at me.

_Ha, taste the blinding light... Vampire bitches!_

* * *

**_Third-person perspective:_**

Shizuku began to rub her eyes from the unsuspected flash of white light, and felt temporarily blinded by that stupid camera boy. Honestly, she had no idea of what was on Takeshi's mind, but it was clear that he had finally gone insane. Maybe something inside of his nutshell of a brain had actually cracked, although he would probably be back to normal in a number of hours at best.

_What a nuisance... _She thought to herself, and blinked a couple times in order to regain her previous ability of sight, and one of the first colors that she saw was a strawberry red. It was only rational that Daisuke would attempt to apologize for Takeshi's idiotic actions, being the overly-kind person he naturally is, but it was also a bit unnecessary.

"Shizuku, sorry about him... I think he just was feeling sick or something." He said, while in response she shrugged indifferently, and eyed the rest of the classroom, who were minding their own business, and had almost lost all attention in the sudden antics. It wasn't like they hadn't seen it before, since much stranger happenings had taken place thanks to a raven haired reporter.

On the other hand, Shizuku had made her way over to her seat, and began to silently read. Class would start in a matter of minutes, but that simple factor did not seem to make much of a difference. It seemed that she hadn't done so in a while, but old habits die hard, supposedly.

However, it was soon when the morning teacher entered the room, and the Classical Language lesson began. Throughout the whole day, each teacher entered the room at their appropriate times, and taught the same, long and droning lectures, again and again. For once, the entire day had actually proved to be completely normal, and continued without any sort of interruption.

Of course, sometime during the course of the arithmetic lesson, Takeshi was dragged back, or rather, "escorted" into class by the assistant principal himself. It was difficult to seize himself from screaming his head off about "taking a class with a group of unnatural beasts" or so he quoted. Yet, in a matter of time, he was able to be seated down in his usual chair, and continue to be the idiot that he is.

It was as if every single student had their eyes glued on the single wall clock that was hung above the chalkboard in the classroom, where Mr. Siu was still scribing white characters onto the black surface, creating a small screeching noise with every stroke. Some of the girls had begun to doodle flowers and abstract shapes in the margins of their notebooks, deciding that the lesson was far too dull to continue concentration.

Finally, after about 10 more minutes of lecturing, the sound of a bell could he heard throughout every hallway, signaling the haven that every person in the establishment knew as lunch. Immediately, everyone took out their bento boxes of all different shapes and sizes. Shizuku remained in her seat, opening up to a page in a book written entirely in English, so practically no one else in the room could tell what it was.

"Hey, Shizuku, do you want to go outside and eat lunch?" Daisuke asked her while in the company of Riku and Satoshi, but she simply shook her head in response to the question, not even bothering to give any sort of verbal answer. Both Daisuke and Riku saw it as a sign of her in a bad mood, and decided not to question it any further, walking out of the classroom with their lunches in hand.

However, Satoshi decided to stay behind, taking the seat beside Shizuku, causing a few people who were from his fanclub to look over in curiosity, but most of them quickly left in order to join their friends for lunch.

"I want to talk to you." He said rather quietly, but Shizuku stayed in her previous position, and only flipped a page in the book that she was reading. After waiting a while longer, she turned yet another page, completely ignoring Satoshi's presence. In slight frustration of not getting a proper answer, he quickly snatched the book out of her hands, holding it out of her reach. "Now, please."

As she opened her mouth to retort, Satoshi grabbed her wrist practically dragging her out of the classroom while she continuously fought with words, criticizing what he was doing, and even attempted to tug her wrist away, but it was easy to tell that he was stronger than her. After going upstairs, he stopped pulling her once they came in front of a door, in which he checked the handle in case it was locked, but easily swung it open. He lead her inside, and only released her once he had locked the door himself.

"What do you think you're doing? Give me back my book." She snapped at him, obviously annoyed at his actions. Satoshi found himself slightly frown at her words, and moved closer to Shizuku, as she stood her ground in the empty art room. All too suddenly, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled Shizuku in until his lips met hers. Satoshi felt her attempt to lightly push him away and pull back her head at the same time, to which his response was to push her head forward into the kiss, running his fingers through her hair.

_I won't let Krad touch her... Never again._

Finally, after they separated, a sharp sound of skin against skin quickly echoed the room, as Satoshi stumbled back from her, holding his now red cheek from where Shizuku had slapped him. He looked at her, both with confusion and disappointment, did it mean that she finally decided that she wanted nothing to do with him? Had the demon inside of him scared her so much that she no longer wanted to be with him? He didn't know, he couldn't read the face of the girl with the blue eyes, wet with tears that she was obviously fighting back.

"S-Satoshi... I'm sorry, but the two of us..." He thought he was prepared for it, rejection already creeping into his heart, and if it was possible, he could feel it hardening at the sight of the one he loved so miserable and afraid, of him.

"...W-We barely know each other."

The clock hanging on the wall of the empty classroom ticked on and on, counting the silent seconds of time that were spent between the two teenagers. Satoshi didn't know what to say, how could she say something like that? The two of them hadn't known each other for a long amount of time, that was true, but they had been through so much together, many of those memories he would rather forget, but the sweet ones, where he could hold her in his arms, were ones that he wouldn't trade for anything.

"What do you mean... we don't know each other?" At that moment, he started to advance towards her once again, except this time, with every step that he made in her direction, Shizuku took one step back. Even she would admit it, she was scared and didn't know what to do, she wanted to run, but something in her body stopped her from doing so.

"Shizuku, I love you. I don't know how it happened, but I fell for you, even if I didn't know it at first. I wanted to protect you, but I couldn't even do that much. I hurt you, I know that." At this point, she had backed up into the wall, and was about to run away to the side, when Satoshi's arm quickly blocked her way. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him, and he saw the look of fear on her face, and he hated it so much. He didn't want her to be scared of him.

"What... What happened to the girl who said she loved me?" At this point, Satoshi was practically shaking, hating himself even more when he saw fresh tears roll down her cheeks. She tried to respond, but for a minute, it only came out as slurs that he couldn't interpret. There was one thing that he could use to prove that they knew each other far more than she claimed. However, he didn't want to stoop so low as to use them.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about... P-Please let me go..."

That was it, he couldn't handle it anymore, her sudden ignorance was driving Satoshi insane. He wanted her to love him again, and he couldn't understand why all of a sudden she was playing dumb. Was this just a way to avoid him? Was she trying to pretend to forget instead of simply saying that she no longer loved him? He couldn't understand.

Without a second thought, Satoshi grabbed her left wrist, and quickly slid the long sleeve on her school uniform down, revealing the ugly marks that existed down her arm. Shizuku gasped, and made an effort to slid her sleeve back up, but once again, it was easy to tell that Satoshi had control in the situation.

"S-Stop it..."

"If we didn't know each other, how would I know that you had scars here? You always make quite an effort to hide them." He whispered, but he could clearly tell that proving that he knew her wasn't calming her down, or revealing if she had been lying about not knowing him, if anything else, she just seemed more frightened. She flinched and looked at the hand that was clasped around her wrist, noticing this, Satoshi released his grip, only to see purplish-black marks appearing where his fingers once were.

He was so enraged, that he didn't even notice he had only been hurting her. Why? Why was all of this happening to him? He couldn't stop injuring her by accident, even though all he wanted to do was protect her from the one inside of him, yet at the moment, he felt no better than the white winged devil. Satoshi stepped backwards, giving her more space, and no longer making any type of physical contact with her.

All of a sudden, Shizuku bolted past him, and within a matter of seconds, she was out the door and running down the hallway, her footsteps echoing throughout Satoshi's mind. In truth, he knew that his own curse was different than Niwa's, it usually didn't react to his feelings of love, but only shorten his lifeline, much like his ancestors who were short lived. Yet, he could feel the strings of fate pulling him away from Shizuku.

After all, she didn't seem to be faking her loss of memory, and been acting slightly different than in comparison to a couple weeks ago. He didn't know why, but she truly had forgotten her love for him, and it seemed like far too much to bear.

Satoshi had noticed one small abnormality when he had stood close to her, and that was the small presence of magic that clung to her. It was barely recognizable, but it had to be the answer to all of the questions that his mind had been formulating. No matter what, he would find the source of that magic, because he wanted Shizuku back, even if his curse still clung to him like a heavy load.

* * *

**_Later that day..._ **

Shizuku arrived home precisely on time, only to be greeted by a familiar smirking face that was glaring at her hungrily. Most people would probably be disturbed or feel threatened by this person, but for some reason, she was completely calm in his presence.

"Kokubyaku, where's my brother?" She asked innocently, setting her backpack on the couch, while he followed behind her wherever she went. Suddenly, two arms encircled her waist in a comforting manner, and she could feel hot breath on her neck. Shizuku was practically used to it by now, since he did this every single time she saw him.

"Do you trust me, my lovely adolescent?" He asked his question constantly, and refused to leave his current position until he received an answer that he wanted, so of course she always replied yes. As far she she knew, he had done nothing to give her a reason not to trust, besides taking control over her brother, of course, yet he claims that he never does it on purpose.

"What's wrong? Your fear and depression was so strong that it caused my transformation..." He held her just a bit tighter than before, but Shizuku couldn't see how widely the man holding her was smiling, eyes narrowed and a mischievous look was on his face.

"T-There was a boy in my class, who... H-He kept on saying that he loved me, but I barely knew him. I-It really scared me."

It took great difficulty for Kokubyaku to hold back the dark chuckles that were building out inside of him. His plan was already being set into action perfectly, starting with the memory loss of the one that she loved most. The magic of the necklace that she wore around her neck held a powerful magic, yet it was quite easy to conceal. Her misery, her fear, it was all so much to enjoy, it was Shizuku's discomfort and pain that fed his very power after all, and adding love into Kokubyaku's equation didn't quite mix, hence the reason for removing it from her life.

The final phases of his plan would unravel soon enough, and after hundreds of years, he would finally receive what both 'true halves' of the Kokuyoku had yearned for since their very existence. He was practically a forgotten piece of the whole puzzle, a fragment of the original Kokuyoku who never had the strength to so much as emerge into his own form.

But soon he, would indeed have his own body. All thanks to the lovely sibling of his tamer, and once she had accomplished this task for him, she would no longer be needed. After all, she had come from a sinful family, and had even fell in love with the descendant of his monstrous creators.

Shizuku Sakishima was in need of permanent peace and purity, which only a swift death would provide.

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**A/N:** If two people review, I will post the next chapter. Haha, I know I'm mean, but that's going to be my rule for now on, because I really wanna finish this story, but I'm also really selfish. I plan to finish this story as soon as I possibly can! And seriously, I know who you are, and if you don't review, I'll hunt you down.


	24. Chapter 23

**Daisuke's POV: **

"NO NO NO! You're doing it all wrong! This isn't the set of my dreams! Work harder! Who taught you to paint? A five year old?" Takeshi continued to scream at the set-makers, who glared at him with much anger, yet he didn't seem to care, and continued to bark orders at them. Every single year that we did a class play, Takeshi always had to be the director, and a rather bossy one at that, although he always did make sure that everybody was ready in time. This year, we were actually doing an American production and recreating Sleeping Beauty, which was why all of us were required to watch the kid's movie during one of our classes, even though majority of the class fell asleep.

"Daisuke! Did you learn your lines yet?" The rabid director asked, turning his focus on me, and I could tell that the kids working on the set were quietly chuckling amongst themselves, obviously happy that the attention was off of them.

"Huh? Oh yeah, but I only have about five lines in the entire show..." I told him, to which Takeshi simply waved his hand, as if shooing me away, and proceeded towards the costume makers, probably to evaluate their work. I was glad that this year, we had broken the yearly tradition of making me one of the girls in the play, since everybody thought Risa would be perfect as Sleeping Beauty. Although, everybody _did_ think it would be funny to have Riku and I play the King and Queen, Risa's parents.

"Don't you have any emotion? You're the prince! You have to be charming and romantic, not a freaking robot!" I could hear the annoying voice call once again, only to see Takeshi beginning to yell at Satoshi, waving a script in front of his face. Behind Takeshi stood a very bored looking Risa, who was playing around with the princess costume that had already been finished.

"Watch and learn! _Please fair maiden, won't you grace me with your name?_" Takeshi said while reading the script, leaning down and one knee and taking Risa's hand, to which she looked a bit disgusted. I sighed, since this play looked like it was going to turn out like every single other one our class had managed to pull off in years past. Pretty much all of them had been utter failures, and usually mistaken to be comedies.

Satoshi, however no matter how many times he was chosen to play the lead male role, never seemed to care about the play with each passing year. Even as I looked at him now, he wasn't paying attention to a single word Takeshi said, and was gazing off into a different direction. At the end of his stare was none other than Shizuku and Miato, who were both looking over music at the piano. Now that I thought about it, the two of them seemed to have been avoiding each other ever since we got back from the trip. Did something awkward happen between them?

Too bad, Satoshi seemed like he was happy with Shizuku around.

* * *

**Shizuku's POV:**

"Maybe it would be better if you flexed your wrists a little more, and you should curve your fingers so that you don't damage your muscles." I nodded my head in acknowledgement, and attempted playing the composition one more time. Although, sight reading music had never been my strong point, and I could tell that I was making small, yet clearly noticeable mistakes here and there. It also wasn't very comforting having Miato's stare making me even more nervous than I already was.

After all, he was much more advanced in piano than I was, but he was playing violin for play, which left me to learn the piano parts. I was already sure that he was unimpressed by my limited skills, even though he kept on trying to give me pointers now and then. By the time that I had finished the ballad, I had counted 17 mistakes, and was tempted to slam my forehead down onto the black and white keys in frustration.

"Your form needs some improvement, here, place your hand on top of mine." He said, taking a seat right next to me on the bench, and slid his right hand into the correct position. Following instructions, I placed my own right hand on his gently, making sure not to place too much pressure on it. Miato started shaking his head back and forth, and with his left hand, pushed my hand harder into his. "Really lay your hand on, like if you're dead."

I was slightly surprised, but automatically made my hand almost completely limp, as he began to sight read the entire piece, but only played the right hand. It was strange feeling the way that he moved his fingers while gliding across the keys, and tried to concentrate on what he did differently from me. He pressed the keys lighter than I did, only pressed on the keys with the tips of his fingers, and curved his wrist more, instead of myself who kept her hand flat throughout playing.

By the time he had finished, I was slightly amazed by how flawlessly he had completed the piece, and how even his tempo was far superior to my own. I even felt slightly jealous of his level of expertise, wishing that I was that advanced, yet I barely even practiced anymore, while Miato probably rehearsed for hours on end.

"Alright! That's a wrap for today!" I heard the obnoxious director yell through his bullhorn, which he had acquired from somewhere unknown. Standing up from the bench, I began to sort through the music sheets that were scatted across the piano stand, and Miato soon began to assist me, obviously picking out the pieces that belonged to himself, but also organizing my own for me.

In truth, I was a bit interested in how well he could play the violin, I had played for two years at most, and all I was able to remember were some simple chords. Perhaps I could play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', but anything more advanced than that was probably out of the question.

"Shizuku, if you don't mind staying behind a bit, I would like for us to practice together. You know, piano and violin?" Even though I was a bit surprised by this request, I automatically agreed, replacing the music sheets once more where they used to be on the stand. He removed his own instrument from its case, and got into a ready position, and my own hands hovered over a C-minor chord.

He was the one to play the first note, although I quickly followed behind, attempting to keep up with the faster tempo, knowing that I would only be a nuisance if I screwed up now. Twenty measures later, the two of us were still going at it, my focus on nothing else but perfection, although I knew that I had already slipped up once. Yet, by the end of the song, I had only missed two other keys, and I was slightly proud.

"Hmm, that was good, do you wanna hang out this weekend to tie up some loose strings?"

"She already has plans. Besides, the two of you will get more than enough rehearsal time for that." I almost flinched when I heard the very familiar voice of a certain blue haired boy, to whom I didn't realize had been watching the entire time. Just looking at him again brought up the awkward memories from the previous week, and although I desperately tried, I hadn't been able to get him out of my mind ever since.

"What? You her boyfriend or something?" Miato asked a bit harshly, and walked right past me to stare down Satoshi, since he was slightly taller. I didn't understand what was going on at all, and was a bit afraid to speak to either one of them. Satoshi then proceeded to push Miato out of his way, and came right up to me, although half of me wanted to step back, something else made me stay there.

"Are you ready to go home? I could walk you if you like." At this point, sirens seemed to be going off in my head, signaling that it would be the worst possible idea for me to walk home with him. Why had he claimed that he loved me? And why on earth did he keep saying that I loved him? It all just made me so confused, and I couldn't make sense of any of it.

"Why don't you go bother some of your fangirls and leave Shizuku alone, it's obvious that you're freaking her out."

"U-Uh... I'm sorry, but I prefer walking alone, my apologizes." I politely told him, and proceeded to gather my music sheets one again, except this time I felt a little more rushed than before, and even had to pick up a couple that had fallen on the floor. Following my actions, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Miato began to pack up the violin that he had previously placed on the piano.

Without haste I stuffed the paper into my manila folder, and sandwiched it into my bookbag. Strangely, I could feel something off, and only when I glanced in Satoshi's direction did I realize that he had been staring at me in an odd way, as if there was a hint of anger on his face. He obviously wasn't looking at my face, since he didn't even seem to notice that I myself had been looking back at him.

"Shizuku, where did you get that necklace?" Immediately, my eyes were diverted to my chest, where the piece of jewelry had make itself free from underneath my shirt. I carefully tucked it back under my school uniform, since I wasn't suppose to show it to anyone, according to Kokubyaku. He claimed that it would protect me from harm, when he couldn't be around to do it himself, but also said that it gave out an aura that would make anyone who lay eyes on it attempt to steal it for themselves.

I didn't actually know if the necklace truly had powers, but I trusted Kokubyaku, and whatever he said, I couldn't help myself from obeying. Apparently, he never wanted me to be without the necklace, although I had no idea why.

"Oh, my brother gave it to me." I said quickly, before haltingly excusing myself from the room, pacing myself a little faster than usual on my way home from school. I found that being in the same room as Satoshi was beginning to become unbearable, my hands would start to tremble, my throat would become dry, my mind would cloud up... A whole list of symptoms would form, and worst of all, I wasn't even able to comprehend why all of this would happen.

_What's wrong with me?_

* * *

**Satoshi's POV**

"Why does she have the Pillory Links?" I found myself mumbling under my breath as I watched Shizuku leave the room with much haste.

"Hey man, you better lay off, I don't wanna blow my chance with her, and it doesn't help when Mr. Fanclub drops in and shamelessly flirts with her." It was only now which I realized that there had been another, obviously obnoxious, life form in the room, whom was attempting to stare me down while I had been lost in thought. I knew I didn't have time for this sort of nonsense, yet, the words that left his mouth left quite an impression on me.

_Blow his chance? _What did he mean by that? True, I wasn't a big fan of school gossip or social order, but during lunch hours spent with other people, especially when the people included Risa, I have heard quite a bit about Miato. Not that I'm sure that I liked what I heard, including how he would have a new girlfriend practically every month, and it was stressed on how brutal the breakups would be.

Yes, Risa gossiped far too much, and her unnaturally high pitched voice seemed to stay with him, no matter how much he attempted to shake it off. Whenever Risa was talking, she always demanded the utmost attention, which forced himself to somewhat listen to her rants. And it seemed that Miato had been a returning factor in various stories. There had even been rumors that he sexually harassed a girl from a lower grade, but they were, after all, just rumors.

"You have no business with Shizuku. Stay away from her."

"What gives you the right to say that, pretty boy?" All too suddenly, a sharp tug was made at the collar of my shirt, and I bitterly glared at the hand which had yanked me all to close to an arrogant playboy. I never really payed attention to the social structure of my own high school, but as it would seem, Miato thought himself as superior compared to me. Was he perhaps, more 'popular'? And he thought that this alone would capture Shizuku's heart?

Obviously not. Even if her heart is clearly clouded by a fog of what I now suspect to be Hikari magic, I knew she would not stray from me. It's true, her judgement, memories, feelings, I might not have believed it at first, but they had vanished almost too suddenly. If it was any other given time, the classmate in front of me would not even be a question, but, would Shizuku truly be able to fall for someone like that? Especially if she did not know of what she used to feel for me?

"Let go of me. The school board would see this as an act of violence, and it certainly wouldn't act in your favor."

"Whatever." I heard him mutter quietly under his breath, before finally releasing my shirt, but was sure to make an effort to push me backwards in the process. "You're not even worth my time, a pathetic nerd who looks like he's stalking some girl he barely knows. She's scared of you, ya know? It's easy to tell that whenever you're around, she looks like she wants to run. I don't know what your game is, but I'm warning you to stay of my business, clear? Don't even bother us during rehearsal."

In the blink of an eye, he vanished through the door of the room, his haunting footsteps slowly fading in the distance. It was only when the sound vanished all together that I noticed that I had been left to utter loneliness. I picked up my things that I had left on the floor while I had waited for Shizuku to finish her practice with that scum. Just thinking about it, my eyes diverted to the closed piano, which for some unknown reason, I felt necessary to flip open, and as I stared at the black and white keys before me, I imaged her fingers dancing across them.

It had been, so delicate, even though she had seemed like she was nervous at the time, her playing sounded truly... beautiful. There wasn't even another word that I could possibly think as to describe it accurately. I rested my right index finger on one of the various white keys, and lightly pressed it down as the note rang out of the instrument. That one sound, felt like the pang in my heart when I had seen her talking to... _him._

Why? Why is it that I had automatically felt an uneasiness when she was even near him? I hadn't even remembered his rumored behavior at the time, yet, I just knew that I hated the sight of the two of them even standing in a close proximity. I had to fight back the urge to rip her away from him, and I didn't even know why, normally, I would never even think to do something so extreme. It wasn't as if Shizuku had never been near another boy before, she used to spend many a times with Daisuke, yet, I've never had the feeling that I did now.

_**How adorable, Master. It appears you are jealous of that worthless**_** _human. _**The all too familiar voice rang in my head, to which I automatically tried to block out, since I was not in the sort of mood to deal with my curse right now. Yet, as quickly as he had been to judge me, he had also left my mind, only leaving his words behind.

Was it true? Is this what jealousy is like? It was the feeling that I wanted to rip Miato's insides onto the pavement. But one thing was certain in my mind, because jealousy or not, I was going to keep that vile being away from the thing I cared about most.

After all, I would never want such innocence to be tainted by such a disgusting 'rumored' pervert.

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**A/N: **I know, I know. Short chapter, hope I can write more soon!


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